alnifolia | OPEN POST;

[ This chick was seriously nuts. Like, straight up crazy -- who the hell brings handcuffs to a club when they're only looking for a random hook-up? What the fuck?

It's a damn good thing Peter's been figuring his way out of cuffs since he was a kid.

So it's somewhere around seven in the morning, and Peter is shimmying back into his jeans, wrists raw and pink from the stupid things. He's grabbing his shoes and his shirt when the girl rolls over in her sleep, and the clinking of metal makes Peter cringe and freeze. When she doesn't seem to wake, he quietly pads his way out of the room, scribbles out a quick note, and leaves it next to her purse on the living room table.

(Hey, had to leave early for a morning shift. Didn't want to wake you. Hope you have a great day.

He keeps himself from adding, also you're goddamn insane.)

He seriously hopes she doesn't steal anything.

-- Then he decides, a few missing things is worth it to not find out what the hell else she has in her purse of horrors.

So he's escaping his apartment and crossing the hall in a few loping steps; he still has his shirt and shoes in one hand, using the other to knock on the door quietly but insistently. ]

[ It's a good thing Kasumi had already been up doing her morning routine of yoga then tea, or else she might have grumbled and rolled over in bed, refusing to answer the door. Especially given that a good night's sleep is so rare for her that she won't let much get in the way of it when she does manage to grab some shut-eye. As it is, she's sitting, curled up on a chair at her table with her tablet and a cup of tea, reading and winding down from her exercise in her leggings, sports top, and an unzipped hoodie. (The hoodie is, of course, pulled up over her head. It's always been a little drafty in her apartment.)

When she hears the quiet but demanding knocking on her door, she looks up from her tablet and just stares at it for a moment. It's seven in the morning on a Saturday and someone's knocking at her door. Um? Maybe if she stays quiet enough, they'll go away.

But curiosity gets the better of her, as it tends to, and she sets her cup and tablet down before quietly climbing out of her chair and making her way over to the door. Standing ever so slightly on her tiptoes, she's just high enough to be able to look through the peep hole and see--the really hot guy from across the hall.

What?

She looks away from the door for a moment, blinking a few times, and then looks back out.

And why isn't he wearing a shirt?

Not that she'd complain, because he looks really good, but--what the hell is happening right now. She'd only spoken to the guy--he'd introduced himself as Peter Quill at some point--a handful of times in passing. Usually just a "good morning" or a "hey" every now and then when they happen across each other in the hall or end up leaving their apartments at the same time. She'd definitely watched him, before, too, that's for certain--sometimes, he'd come home really late and be really loud or have really loud company and Kasumi couldn't help but look through her peephole to see what the fuss was all about. She hardy, if ever, saw him take the same person into his apartment more than once. She thinks she knows his game. So what does he want with her so early in the morning?

Only one way to find out. ]

One second.

[ She takes the chain off of her door and unlocks it slowly to be quiet, eventually turning the knob and opening the door. ]

Can I help you?

[ It takes a little longer than he thought it would, but it makes sense. It's way too early on a Saturday, and probably no one's going to answer some unsolicited visit. He glances over his shoulder (as though fearing the crazy chick might bust out of his apartment and demand more weird, kinky shit), and he's about to try the next door -- but then, sure enough, she's answering.

He sighs in relief. He barely knows-- it's Kasumi, right? Kasumi Goto. He barely knows her, but he knows everyone else on this floor even less, which is saying quite a lot.

(Mostly that Kasumi is hot as hell, and she's the only person he's remotely interested in on this floor, but maybe he shouldn't mention that.)

So he offers an apologetic smile. ]

Hey, uh. [ With his free hand, he rubs the back of his neck awkwardly then lets out an explosive sigh. ] Alright, I'm just gonna come out and say it.

I know this is seriously weird, and feel free to say, "No way, dude, get the hell out of here," but I need a place to hideout for a bit. I have an insane woman in my apartment right now, and on the one hand, I wanna make sure she doesn't make off with any of my stuff, and on the other hand, I really don't wanna be there when she wakes up.

And, you know. You and your apartment are conveniently right here, so I figured I'd ask?

[ When he raises his hand to rub the back of his neck before he speaks, she catches a glimpse of the marks along his wrists, which earns him a quirk of her brow, but then he says--

Ah. A Crazy Chick.

That would definitely explain all the screaming she heard from across the hall last night. Not that Kasumi pressed her ear up against her door to listen--no, she totally did. Part of her was actually starting to get a little worried; the girl sounded insane and Kasumi had wondered if she should... intervene? Maybe knock on Peter's door to make sure he wasn't being murdered?

But he's a big boy, she figured, before she had plugged her earphones back into her ears and went back to bed. Anyway, he clearly could handle it, judging by the fact that he's now standing at her doorway, without a shirt on, trying to escape from this woman.

In any case, she's in no position to say no to letting a rather attractive shirtless man into her apartment. Even though she hasn't exactly tidied up--her yoga mat's still in the middle of the living room space, she's still in her workout clothes (although she knows she looks pretty damn good in them, so that's not really an issue)--her apartment reads as "impeccably decorated on a budget" and "quirky."

She steps aside to let him in, outstretching her arm in a welcoming gesture. ]

Hey, no problem. Mi casa es su casa, neighbor.

[ he smiles in relief when she steps aside, ]

You're a life saver, Kasumi. Seriously, I owe you like six bouquets of flowers for this.

[ he's slipping his shirt back on as he steps inside (because the world, perhaps, is unfair) and glancing around quickly. ]

Sorry, did i interrupt your workout?

[ She's sure to give Peter's door one last glance before she shuts her door, listening carefully just to make sure Crazy isn't about to wake up from beauty sleep into a frothing rage. And then she's a little disappointed when she turns back around to see that Peter's put his shirt back on. Alas. ]

Nope. I finished a while ago, I just haven't bothered to roll that thing back up.

Oh, and--six bouquets and a drink, then I'll call it even.

[ he sighs heavily as he takes a seat, slipping his shoes back on. ]

Six bouquets and a drink, then. I'd call you demanding, but that sounds pretty fair.

[ She laughs, making her way over to the table, and reaching past him to grab her mug. ]

If you're nice enough, I might let you get away with three bouquets and a drink. Want anything?

Nah, I would dream of skimping on the roses. Unless you're more into daffodils or lilies or something?

And just water's fine, if that's alright. Thanks.

Got it.

[ She walks over to the kitchen counters to reach up and grab a glass for him from the cupboard, then turns to open the fridge and pull out her Brita pitcher. As she pours the water out into the glass, she shoots him a playfully curious look. ]

How'd you know I like roses?

[ She knows the answer to this question. They've run into each other on weekends before, as Kasumi would come back from grocery shopping with a fresh bouquet of roses (and some other flowers mixed in, though it was always clear that the roses were the main star of the show) almost every week. Or maybe it as a lucky guess. Either way, it can't hurt to hear his answer, right? ]

Edited 2015-02-17 20:57 (UTC)

Complete guess. [ he spreads his hands and shrugs, and-- he may or may not be joking. ]

Just kinda figured roses were a safe bet, right? Better than carnations, anyway.

[ She fiddles with the tea bag that's still in her mug a little before pouring some more hot water from her kettle in, then she makes her way back to the table and sets the glass in front of Peter as she takes the seat opposite form his. ]

I dunno, I guess? A lot of people think roses are too cheesy or cliche nowadays. Not me, though.

They're classic, right? I mean, they're basically a romantic staple. That's like saying you can't gaff fireworks on Independence Day since that's what everyone else does.

Wow. I didn't know you were such a romantic, Peter.

[ She smiles, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the tabletop while holding her mug up with both of her hands. Without taking her eyes off of him, she takes a sip of her tea. ]

[ He arches a brow at her, leaning forward as well as he reaches for the glass of water. ]

What can I say? It's in my blood. In this chest beats the heart of a lover.

[ She sets her mug down on the table, still leaning forward, and flashes him a more playful sort of smile before she says, ]

Guess there's a lot of things we don't know about each other, huh, neighbor?

[ For a second, he shoots her a sort of quizzical look, but it smooths out to something neutral. ]

Somethin' on your mind?

[ She shrugs. ]

Not really.

So, what's the story behind you and the crazy chick?

[ his expression sours immediately. ]

Oh my God, okay, please tell me I'm not crazy -- it's fucking nuts to haul around a pair of handcuffs with you on the off-chance you hook up, right? Even worse to whip 'em out, like, five minutes after walking into a dude's apartment, right?

[ She hums, tapping a fingertip on her lips like she actually has to think about the answer to that question. ]

Well...

[ Nah, for real, that's cray. ]

Yeah, that's pretty nutso. So, like, there was absolutely no prior indication that she might be crazy? Nothing at all? No red flags?

None. She was totally, like-- [ And here he affects a sort of valley girl accent, ] --"Oh my God, I love this song, oh my god, you have to dance with me."

[ He adopts his normal voice again. ] I guess the time when she, like, gutted a squirrel on the middle of the dance floor was kinda weird? But mostly I was too busy wondering where she found the little dude to be worried about what weird junk she was doing with its organs.

[ She sort of just squints at him, a little. ]

Right. So she gutted a squirrel, and you thought, "Yeah, I'm gonna take this lady home tonight."

[ He doesn't miss a beat: ]

Yeah. I mean, wouldn't you?

Well, yeah. Especially if it meant I had to hide in my neighbor's apartment the morning after.

[ He laughs at that, a hand going to self-consciously scrub his face. ]

Yeah, you're right. I should've started bein' suspicious around the animal sacrifice bit.

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OPEN RP POST ① Pick a character ② Pick a prompt (or DIY) (shamelessly and selectively pilfered from bakerstreet's Random Scenario Meme) ③ Do the thing!. table code by betterdolphin

mundane au?!

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