Midnight Manor Boarding House, Friday afternoon through evening

[hasaknightjob]

Steven had the body during the morning and early afternoon, what with bringing Watts lunch and all. Once they got home there was a change of clothes and Marc took over.

They were heading out of town next week, so Marc wanted to be sure everything was handled while they were gone. Which meant he was currently in his office which annoyingly was still a thing in his life but whatever. You agree to be responsible for a sentient pocket universe that doubles as a place people can live and apparently there's paperwork and shit.

Out front there was a handwritten sign - not Marc's handwriting, mind you - that said Rooms for Let. Ask Within. Door's unlocked. Office is to your right. (Don't worry he's not as grumpy as he looks!)

Marc, of course, was unaware of the full wording on the sign. Because sometimes Steven thought he was hilarious.

[open! As the sign says, front door's unlocked]

Comments

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Pretty sure she was hearing Marc's voice, Arden stuck her head out of her door (the room that was closest to the stairs) to say hi - and was surprised to see he wasn't alone. "Oh!" she said. "Uh. Hi! Uh."

She was very good at people, as you could tell.

"Sorry! I was just gonna say to Marc. Which I did. But also hi...to...you?" Person she didn't know.

She should just duck back into her room while she still hadn't made a complete fool of herself.

[happy to thread with either/both of you!]

[single_man_tear]

"Also hi to you then," Dean said with a friendly wave and then pointed at the door next to hers. "I'm Dean. I'm going to be your neighbor. I'm the new guy on the island."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Oh, uh, hey," Arden said, you know, very cool and chill because that was very much who she was as a person. Honest. "I'm Arden, nice to meet you. I showed up at the end of the summer, so I don't think I'm new anymore, except for how everything is still pretty weird to me."

She laughed and then asked casually, "So you're new-new? Not, like, from the other side of the island and just moving into Midnight for a change in scenery?" She glanced over to Marc really quickly, and then looked back at Dean.

[single_man_tear]

"New as in about two hours ago I landed in a sandbox in a park," Dean said with a nod. "And it's good to know that things will still be weird nine months from now."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Okay, no recognition of what she was really asking and Arden relaxed a little further. "...Landed? In a sandbox? Like, literally?"

[single_man_tear]

"Yeah. I think the guy who sent me thought it would be funny," Dean admitted. "That's where one of the portals to heaven was back in my reality."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"...Heaven?" Arden asked, her eyebrows shooting upwards in surprise. She glanced at Marc to see if this was a surprise to him too, but...it was Marc.

[single_man_tear]

"Uh. Yeah. Technically I was dead. Now, not so much," Dean said trying to make it sound less than it was. "Really long story."

About fifteen seasons worth.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Okay, you'll fit right in on the island," Arden snorted. "Anybody who can drop 'yeah, I was dead but anyway, what's for dinner?' won't be fazed by anything this island throws at them, probably."

She considered it. "Maybe the ponies. You might be thrown by the ponies. And the random singing."

[single_man_tear]

...

"The what now?"

Clearly he did not learn everything in the park today.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Some times you turn into a pony for a day," Arden said in the exhausted tones of someone who knew what she was saying was utter nonsense and yet. "Or revert to your childhood." She couldn't help a grimace at that, unconsciously reaching up to clasp at something under her shirt. "And twice since I've been here, we just had to sing. Like a Broadway musical or something. It was on the day I did radio, too, so that sure...was a thing that happened."

[single_man_tear]

So far today Dean had met aliens, a necromancer, an avatar of Khonshu and a witch.

But the pony and the singing thing is what is giving him a pause.

"Like an actual pony. With hooves and a tail."

...

"And does it have to be Broadway tunes?"

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

See! That's what she'd said! He'd be fine with most things, but not those! A+ people reading, Arden!

"Only brightly colored. I was blue. With pegasus wings. I got to fly around." In case you thought there might have been an end to the indignity, Dean. "And...I think you just sang whatever came to mind that day? Especially if you were having feelings. If you check out my radio broadcast from the...shit, did anybody tell you about the squirrels?"

Please say yes. Please say yes.

[hasaknightjob]

"Hey," Marc said, giving her a nod of greeting. "New neighbor."

If Marc wasn't introducing Arden that was because Arden was also someone who was under Marc's watch. And not that Marc was worried about Dean, Midnight would have kicked a fuss if the guy was a danger to anyone in the building, but Arden's own comfort about giving her details out was another matter.

Behind Dean, though, Marc may have given Arden a quick look to let her know Marc had already vetted the guy and found him okay.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

After introducing herself - first name only - to Dean and asking her traditional question to see if he recognized it, she was definitely glancing to Marc to see his expression and relaxed a little at the return glance. She offered him a small smile of appreciation, before glancing back to Dean.

"How you been?" she asked him after introductions were over.

[hasaknightjob]

"All right," Marc said. He was now giving her a once over to check her overall demeanor. "You? Doing okay?"

Because, yanno, Marc could hit anybody making it so she wasn't, if she needed.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

And this was why Marc was the best.

"Yeah," she said, the smile still hovering around the corners of her mouth. "Well, a pair of flamingos bullied me into egg-sitting for them, which is kinda embarrassing to admit, but, like, I'm pretty sure I get a pass because water birds are mean."

She'd very deliberately said that so flamingos came before bullied just to make sure Marc knew it wasn't anything bad. "Oh. And I did radio with that crazy vampire doctor. She's somehow even crazier in person."

[hasaknightjob]

"Steven's got a class with her," Marc said, because of course Arden would have no way of knowing that. "Writing. So crazier than me or what?"

Look at Marc, being all personable and funny. You know, for him.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Oh no, Steven, Arden was so sorry.

"Worse," she said, really letting her North Carolina drawl out for this one. "Bless her heart, she's exuberant."

[hasaknightjob]

Marc dutifully made a face of disgust. "Better him than me. He seems to be tolerating it okay but, yanno - "

The subsequent shrug encompassed the entire concept of Steven.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Being gracious in the face of utter absurdity is kinda his thing?" Arden suggested to fill in that blank.

[hasaknightjob]

"Yeah, pretty much," Marc said, fully aware that he himself was the largest absurdity in Steven's life. "Still, she didn't bother you, right? Just weird?"

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"Just weird," Arden confirmed. "She said I was too young to, uh. Hit on."

Not quite what had been said, but probably less likely to get Marc's protective hackles up. "Spent most of the broadcast getting into a fight with a squirrel."

[hasaknightjob]

"Kind of normal for radio," Marc pointed out. "I mean look at Stark's whole deal."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"How he's always fighting with Leroy?" Arden double-checked. "In his defense? Leroy is a real dick."