Scourge {Penny/Open}

[Jahel Yosef]

«Jahel Retta Yosef
male; thirty-two years

Red drops mixed with blue water. Somewhere deep in the city night-life – beat after beat of loud bone-rattling music vibrating through the floor – Jahel faced the mirror in front of him, cleaning his hands and (futilely) a small stain on his shirt. Below his feet people danced carelessly to music, their voices reaching past physical barriers and into his remote location, lit only by a flickering overhead fluorescent light. It made the hollows under his eyes stand out, his shadows elongate. He spotted a red splash near his face and, with wet fingers, wiped it off and flicked the remaining drops into the sink, watching it spiral downwards to be forgotten in the drain; Jahel cleared his throat, tilted his head to crack the bone and let out a slow hiss as he worked out the soreness there.

He then both hands on the sink, bracing himself. He began to cough. His chest heaved and his throat moved; his eyes, a watery-ice-crystal blue, stared fixatedly at the mirror’s bottom left corner, unfocused, unblinking. The top of his lip lifted as he hacked up the something inside him, whereupon the sound became more and more strained until he wheezed from the effort and finally it was overtaken with a sodden, obtrusive sound, as though he were digging up the biggest hairball in the world and if it didn’t come out soon it would choke him. Jahel’s blue eyes widened only slightly around the edges before he dipped his head, hacked one last time (his adam’s apple charging upwards), and spat up something visceral. It landed in the sink with a squelch.

It seemed to be made of whatever made up your stomach, mucus, blood, and a shard of what looked like metal. Jahel snarled lowly, like a dog, the pain in his stomach flaring and then finally fading away. He stayed there, breathing, for a while. Then he turned on the water to wash it away (sparing a little to splash his face with, and his mouth).

Well now his night was just ruined. He paused at his reflection to put some strands of hair back in place and to adjust his shirt – the small stain still visible on it – and decided that, as much as he didn’t want to, he’d really have to get back to Gabe’s little posse. He couldn’t very well walk about with a perfectly good shirt stained with blood, and lord knew how hard it was to get blood stains out of clothing.

”Hmn,” he grunted, to himself (there was certainly no one else around he could be addressing) and left the bathroom. The sound of music that hit him was almost physical, but he ignored it, pushing past men and women and out into the cold night air, which he drank in with relief.

(gah sorry this took so long. Hope you can work with it ; D )

[Penny Stone]

Her 'hunt' wasn't as easy as she had first imagined. What leads she discovered, most turned out to be either false or unrelated to what she needed. She was no closer to finding out who 'Morgan' was than she was when she started, and it really impacted her self-esteem and her thoughts of her future in MSAD. Gabriel certainly wouldn't want to keep her around if she couldn't even complete a reconnaissance mission. He'd kick her out, or just kill her. Either way she wouldn't be able to help her brother.

And that was just not acceptable.

Tonight was a club-night for most of the adults of Pilot Ridge. Penny often flocked to the clubs, just in case she might spot Jake and 'Morgan' out. She hadn't, yet, but she might get lucky. Though, truthfully, she also went out to clubs because she was a little bored with her 'husband,' 'Oscar.' She kinda missed living at the compound, but only just. She had yet to really make a name for herself amongst the other members, but that was going to change when she completed her first mission.

The Chinese woman was leaned against the bar, as usual, watching the dancing patrons and occasionally chatting with those men or women that approached her at the bar. She never let anyone buy her a drink, because she was working. She sipped a gin and tonic. The music pounded her ears and after she had sipped down all of her drink, she decided to head outside for a bit of air, and to let her ears settle some. As weaved through the crowd, and shoved when necessary. Not before too long, she found herself leaned against the wall, with her eyes turned upwards to the sky.

When the door opened and closed again, she dropped her gaze to see if it was from someone going in, or coming out. There was man next to her that she identified immediately as Jahel Yosef, of MSAD. She tucked a couple of strands behind her ear and then looked around the street, nonchalantly. "Good evening." She said to him, her head tilted sideways as she spoke.

(I am so sorry this post totally sucks)

[Jahel Yosef]

«Jahel Retta Yosef
male; thirty-two years

Jahel’s head jerked upwards at her voice. Then his lips curled up in a smile. ”Hi baby,” he said, and came towards her; the cold night air lifted some dark strands of hair from his face and pushed back the long coat from his shoulders, where it fluttered around the bottom of his thighs. He swept beside her, settling his metaphorical wings to swoop to one side of Penny, where he put his forearms on the steel banister overlooking a view of the city; glancing up at her pretty pale face, then back out, he peered into the distance as though trying to figure out what she’d been staring so hard at. Presently he gave up. ”Nice seein’ you here, Miss Stone. Good evening to you too.” Then: ”You look cold.”

Sliding the coat off his shoulders, he wrapped it around her much thinner ones instead. It was heavy, suited more for a 6’8’’ man that a slight woman like Penny, but it was warm, and it smelled like him – which wasn’t a bad smell. He went back to leaning on the railing, only one elbow this time so that he could face her. ”So what’re you here for? Myself - ” He raised his nose towards the air like a wolf. ”’m looking for someone. Didn’t work out too well though.” This was followed by a loud laugh, as though he could hardly think of anything funnier. His light blue eyes gleamed in the chilly air; his teeth flashed, revealing a bit of his canines. ” You ever feel what it’s like to love someone, Miss Stone? – ‘Course you have, you’re beautiful. I would’ve been better off with someone sweeter like you, but th’ woman I found instead is a cold bitch with one of those damn cockney accents. I feel like we would’ve gotten along otherwise.” Snorting, he pulled a cigarette from his pants pocket. ”Huh. Ah well. Came here to…” Jahel took his first drag, puffing out with a breath of smoke. ”…relax.”

This was followed by a low voice in Spanish. ”Conyo sucio.”

Below them Vermont stretched out, lit up by dozens of artificial lights. Jahel spent some time in silence after that (both forearms resting on the railing now) breathing smoke in and out, letting it stream out over his cheeks and disappear behind him. His lashes flickered in the cold night. An airplane flew overhead, the hum of its engines fading off into the distance.

Upon remembering that Penny was still there he straightened up, giving her a lopsided smile and sweeping some hair from his face. The pain in his stomach had all but evaporated now, but it was still present, like a slight tug at his insides. When he moved the wrong way he could feel it, knowing that it would heal soon but wary of opening it again.

”Well, Miss Stone, ‘less you got something more to do, how ‘bout we head back? It’s a long way and it’d leave a bad taste in my mouth t’ watch you walk all that way alone.”

Jahel offered his arm, and grinned. ”Shall we?”

[Penny Stone]

Most of the time, Penny knew what to expect from people. That was because she always remembered every little tick, movement, and word that came from someone. Call it a curse of a gift, either way, Penny usually had an idea of what someone (she'd met before) would say. However, being called 'baby' was not what she expected Yahel to say. She'd hardly been around the guy before (and kinda what she'd learned about him before hand), but she had almost been certain what little relationship they had didn't illicit a greeting of 'hi baby.' Of course she had to factor in several variables: he had been drinking tonight, they weren't at 'work,' she was in a skimpy dress, the atmosphere was different here than at the compound, etc.

Or maybe he was just like that, and previously Penny had yet to see it? Whatever the reason, it really didn't call for her trying to figure it out. She smiled kindly in return to him, however quirked an eyebrow to his antics of covering her with his coat. She wasn't that cold. Her heart was still pounding to the beat of the music, and while it wasn't terrible exhilarating leaning against the bar, she had yet to really feel the temperature of the cold Vermont air. However, she didn't hiss and shove him away for being a bit forward, instead she leaned a bit against him, because hell! She had been working rather hard recently and it was about time for a bit of fun. Though letting an acquaintance cover her with a coat didn't qualify as 'fun', and if it did for someone, they led a drastically boring life. "Yosef, always a pleasure." She replied to his more proper (and expected) greeting.

As he took off his coat completely and wrapped it around her shoulders, she crossed her arms across her chest and gripped the sides to hold it on her snugly. The coat would do no real good if wind still reached her skin. Though in the difference of height between the two, the coat near about dusted her ankles. It might have even reached the ground if she wore flat heels, however the current red heels she was wearing gave her a good three inches.

She gazed back out at the night, looking at the stars before she answered his question. "I am also looking for someone." That person had a name, but no face, or a background. To his other question--though since he didn't pause she was led to believe it was rhetorical. Had Penny ever been in love? Well she loved her brother, but that was hardly the sort he was referring too. "Not me, no. Not yet." No, Penny had never quite met the guy that could put up with her. Her cold moods, her harsh opinions...her never forgetting what one said, or did. She especially never forgets the eye rolls. Though it wasn't like she was in any hurry. She was busy at the moment, seeking revenge on her brother's attackers and the rest of those pitiful creatures out there. That was her only goal and she had no other future then that. "Sweet like me? Dear Yahel you don't know me at all if you consider me sweet," she replied in good nature, though it was true. Penny couldn't remember ever being called 'sweet' before. Or maybe he was just flirting with her? Eh, it didn't really matter, did it? No use trying to puzzle it out.

The silence that then surrounded them was pleasant, she found herself looking everywhere again, especially the stars. They were rather pretty, and easy to look at. However, when Yahel began speaking again, she dropped her eyes to look at him again. She smiled at what he said, not because it was nice, but because the thought of someone attacking Penny was entertaining. She couldn't remember a time when she couldn't handle herself in a fight--she'd been taking martial arts since she was six. Not to mention perfect recall was just a step beneath muscle memory; any fighting move she saw (or experienced) was ingrained in her cortex. After a couple of practice sessions with a punching bag (or lucky volunteer) Penny would then perfect the move, and it'd always be remembered. She also worked out nearly everyday (she's had to cut back since her mission started). But, in all fairness, it was nice of him.

"What a gentlemen, what with the rise in crime in Pilot Ridge..." she commented sarcastically before she actually thought about walking home with him--well to the compound. She's been living at an apartment with Paulo since her super secret mission started and hardly returned to the compound since (though if she got some alone time with Jake, she might just get something from him). As he offered his arm, she wrapped one of her hands around his and smiled up at him a little. "We shall," she replied with that small smile still on her face.

(That's better :3)

[Jahel Yosef]

«Jahel Retta Yosef
male; thirty-two years

”Aah, well I do try,” he responded. A flurry of wind wrapped around their bodies and settled at their feet. ”No worries, Miss Stone, you can pay me back later.”

Though it was rather cold outside it was by no means freezing, so as long as they kept moving the night would remain pleasant enough to walk through. It was very late, later than the definition of night-life was supposed to be; it could be said that it was far too early for that, seeing as even the clubs were closing and the night-owls were retreating to their homes. Only the occasional flicker of a streetlamp showed any sign of movement, except, of course, for Jahel and Penny, arm in arm. The streets were silent otherwise. Bare mannequins stared from behind the glass of long-closed shops, their glossy eyes reflecting the two figures as they walked past.

Jahel’s voice broke the quiet. ”I understand you’ve not been at the house recently,” he said (still mindful to be discreet, since anyone could have been listening if he spoke too openly). ”And now you tell me you’re out looking for someone. It must be something important that the rest of us wouldn’t know a thing about it. Don’t worry, I’m not going to ask.” He let out a soft chortle. ”I know m’rn anybody how secretive he can be. I can only hope that his actions are with the rest of us in mind. Y’know. Communal. Otherwise, I can’t approve of him sending off such - ” Jahel flashed her a smile. ”valuable and pleasant company. Don’t you agree, Miss Stone?”

The compliments rolled off his tongue as easily as vaseline. He was a natural flirt; a fluid speaker. He did this to nearly everyone he found decently attractive and then some, whom he addressed with endearments not necessarily intended to be “flirty” but as they were – endearing. A fond sort of nickname, one he’d use for those he liked, and one he’d use in a disgruntled and/or sarcastic manner for those he didn’t.

Luckily Penny was more of the former.

”…Well, I suppose I should just be counting my lucky stars t’see you unharmed and healthy,” he continued. His body was warm, a bastion against the cold. When he looked at her it was with such truly genuine feeling – such a perfect façade – that it was hard to believe he was capable of anything but compassion. His smile was gentle, almost innocent, and made the edges of his eyes crinkle up a bit. ”I’m sincere. You look good. It was a pleasant surprise to see you here tonight; we really must talk more often, especially with you being away more and all.”

Jahel’s watery blue eyes fixed on her pale face. ”How about it, Miss Stone? We could get dinner together. I shake, you bake?...”

[Penny Stone]

"I won't forget, then." She replied with a small grin. She as a bit surprised to notice how late it was. She had really lost track of time in the bar, as that tended to happen when one didn't care a phone to constantly check. She looked around, at those that were also walking home, or stumbling, with someone they would regret with in the morning. Penny had never descended that low, not yet. Even heavily inebriated, Penny still had perfect recall and she was always sure to leave a thought that could easily be remembered for her to not take anyone anywhere, or go with anyone.

Now was not the case, and she was actually enjoying this walk with Jahel, her coworker. She looked sideways at him when he mentioned her absence at the house and put that with her looking for someone. She wondered why he thought they were related, even though they were. "I wonder why you think they are immediately related?" She asked a bit curiously, amusement in her voice. Were there rumors in the house that would lead him to suspect she was looking for someone? She hoped not, Gabriel had expressed, quite clearly, the need for her discretion and secrecy. She had a nagging feeling despite keeping her mouth firmly closed about the entire operation something had gotten out and that Gabriel was disappointed. It was irrational and completely without merit, but Penny was certainly out of her comfort zone on this spy mission. She went to college to be a business owner, then joined MSAD to get revenge on her brother's attackers. She was certainly out of her element here, and hearing Jahel had set off those insecurities. Even if he had heard something, she needed to persevere and not question it, or leak any information. Just as well, Jahel expressed he wasn't going to pry, which was good. That wouldn't sour or dampen the conversation.

His rain of compliments and praise, while sweet, made Penny just a tad uncomfortable, not because she didn't know Jahel enough, but just because Penny knew she was anything but the things he was saying. Though, to avoid being sour and bitter she just smiled and laughed. She could just take the compliments at face value, anyway. Jahel must just naturally be a flirt. "I'll consider myself lucky, then. To have such a person watching over me." She replied, her smile leaked into her tone. Admittedly, it felt nice with all that attention--as rare as was for Penny.

With the echoes of her shoes against the concrete, she found herself zoning out at the hypnotic click, as her steps were equally spaced and the sound constant. However as he looked at her again and spoke she blinked and looked up at him. "You look handsome yourself. Whoever you were meeting certainly is missing out." At him suggesting they talk more, she thought curiously about what that implied, or if he just really did want to be her friend. That could be useful.

"I am interested to see your cooking abilities." Penny was raised with a strict Chinese diet--her grandmother had something against processed American food--and Penny had yet to really experiment with all American foods, so honestly she did not know what he meant by 'I shake, you bake,' was that some reference to a meal, or was he thinking about dancing while she threw something together? She grinned a bit at the image, though it didn't quite make sense.

[Jahel Yosef]

«Jahel Retta Yosef
male; thirty-two years

”Well – “ he chuckled. ”They’re not much. Frankly. I don’ cook that often.” Jahel smiled and shrugged languidly, walking in pace with her. She was a smaller woman so he had to be careful to shorten his stride so she’d be comfortable, not that he minded; petite women were always more attractive to him than the tall kinds, anyway. ”I was just hoping you did.”

Some real food would be nice, he mused. There was no way he’d be able to cook for himself besides frying up some already-made dinners. He couldn’t think of a single good cook in the M.S.A.D compound, either, which forced him to seek out a restaurant in the city or something like that when he got tired of meals stuck in the back of the freezer. Luckily they were paid well for what they did, so he needn’t worry about his funds.

”Ah well. So, where are you staying, Miss Stone? At the house or otherwise?” His blue eyes looked down at her. ”I can walk you to wherever you’re at, if it ain’t far.”

He was mildly curious about that, anyway. If she wasn’t staying at the compound, where exactly was she living? It would’ve been a shame if it were in some dingy apartment like the majority of households here… a crying shame.

(ohmygawd this is so short sorry D’: )

[Penny Stone]

Penny, for such a small person, actually walked pretty fast. She didn't really like walking slow, but walked with a sense of purpose and importance wherever she went. She used to not move so quickly, but ambled as if she was on a stroll. The change occurred subconsciously when her brother was beaten to death while walking. Penny didn't like being out in the open. "Ah," she said knowingly with a small nod of her head. She grinned a little, " I do suppose I can throw something together." She was a good cook because of her ability to remember things. She had a special 'file' set aside for Chinese food, and what little American food she knew how to make, and she thought of the key word that would bring all those recipes to mind.

When he asked where she was staying, a little red flag went up. Gabriel had asked them to tred with the upmost caution, and she really wasn't sure of Jahel's relationship with Jake, or Gabriel. He'd been around for a while, she knew, but that was it. If he even caught a wiff of what she was up to, he might speak to either man about it, and that was bad on either account. Besides, Paulo was definitely sleeping, and if Jahel were to figure out his involvement was bad. She would have to keep it a secret.

"I think heading to the compound would be best." Besides, Penny actually missed the house, a little. She missed Mirage the most. There was just something about that husky she loved, and Penny generally hates animals, dogs included. She looked up at him and smiled a little, she hoped she didn't offend him with denying him knowledge of where she was staying, but she really didn't know if she could trust him with that information or not.

[Jahel Yosef]

«Jahel Retta Yosef
male; thirty-two years

He nodded. ”A’right then.”

He didn’t seem offended so it was likely that he wasn’t. In any case he walked in stride with her, though as they went on his breath became slightly labored and his eyes a bit duller; he coughed once or twice, followed by a small gurgling sound. He seemed – tired. Tired or aching or both. Jahel could feel his stomach twisting metaphorical knots.

Finally he stopped. His breath misted out before him, curling up into the sky, each one squeezed through his heavy throat. Licking his teeth, he bent down to plop wearily on a bench illuminated only by a flickering light overhead, where moths danced playfully around the dying bulb.

He panted for a bit and then gave a breathless smile. ”I been straining myself too hard, Miss Stone,” he told her. ”I got a bit of a stomach ache.”

The wind howled again. It was cold; it brushed Jahel’s russet hair to the left and lifted his cloak from his shoulders.

He sat there for a moment, both of his forearms resting on his knees, his head slightly bowed, eyes unfocused as though in idle thought. Luckily he did not cough; Penny would be spared the uncomfortable sight of him hacking up another bloody human hairball, as it were.

[/size]

(moar short. I will dig myself out of this hole soon. ;u; )

[Penny Stone]

(Oh dun worreh, deary. Even on the short side your posts are fantastic.)

Penny nodded her head a little when Jahel agreed to her decision and their walking was once again silent. Her mind randomly traveled from one cooking recipe to the other. What could she make? What would Jahel eat? What was easy? What could be made without a lot of noise, or smell? (the last thing she wanted was to wake up the entire house with the smell of food and only have enough made for the two of them.) She couldn't get her heart set on just one thing, however, because she wasn't sure how well stocked the kitchen was at the moment, since she hadn't been at the house in weeks--long enough to rummage the kitchen, anyway.

Her head titled to the side, however, when their steady pace and movement was interrupted by labored breathing. She turned her head to the side to see Jahel not looking as she had last seen him. What was wrong? He had seemed fine before. It didn't really make sense, yet, but Jahel finally spoke to her after a moment of sitting and...whatever. Penny moved over slowly and sat down next to him. Now Penny wasn't really equipped to handle sickness. Her grandma had a list of home remedies for everything you can imagine and Penny never remembered being sick for more than a few hours, her brother included. She knew from memory most of the remedies, and a longer list of ailments and sicknesses. She didn't understand how a stomach ache could lead to labored breathing--and his cough sounded phlegmy and wet. So it didn't exactly make sense, but he was feeling bad about something--that was undeniable.

She knew some powers that metas have, have bad side effects. Penny's own wasn't too bad, but the more she recalled, the less she could focus on what was in front of her, it wasn't too bad unless she was trying to keep up conversation. She was terribly distant for that. Maybe this was Jahel's? She wouldn't ask, because it didn't strike her as something one would ask of someone. She would just take what he said, that he was over-worked. She reached up one hand and rubbed the back of his neck and shoulders in smoothing circles. She didn't expect the action to lend much relief towards him, because it sounded like something was trying to come up, and he was either hesitant to do so from pain, or some other reason. There were several that occurred to her but all were unlikely, or so she figured they were.

"Take all the time you need. There is no rush," she told him softly, because it seemed it was human nature to lower your voice when someone was ill. She had no way of knowing if he was experiencing head pains along with whatever was plaguing his stomach. She crossed her legs at the knee and looked about them and the bench they were sitting on. Penny was normally over-cautious about being in unfamiliar places, and while she had walked many streets of Pilot Ridge, there were many that were still uncharted, as it seemed, this was one of those streets.

So she kept herself busy with looking at all the new things and committing those to memory, in her file of Pilot Ridge.

[Jahel Yosef]

«Jahel Retta Yosef
male; thirty-two years

His breath came in and out between his teeth, which clenched every now and again and then released in one long, slow breath. He didn’t seem to notice Penny’s hand on his back; not at first. His eyes focused in front of him, and then glanced to the side to fix on her face, pale in the weak streetlight.

”It’s a bright night tonight, isn’t it?” he said.

It was. It was one of those nights when the air was cold and the moon had free access to the world below. Long clear shadows fell on the ground, as though it were dusk, not past midnight; the bright light overhead doused the sky, blotting out the stars surrounding it and making the surface of the earth look blue. It made Jahel’s light blue eyes almost translucent. They were predatory as they looked at her – cold, wild, and utterly unapproachable.

”Thanks for the sentiment, Miss Stone.” He waved his hand in dismissal. ”It ain’t nothing but a bad feeling. Thank god you’re here; wouldn’t know what I’d do without you.” He stretched suddenly, opening his mouth in a wide yawn. ”Aaah – I’m so tired. I could stay here and go to sleep if it weren’t so cold out. Shame.”

Jahel wondered briefly if Penny had a complete mastery over the English language or not. She seemed like a quiet girl and she was, by all accounts, quite asian; from what he’d heard of her she spoke in simple terms with heavy enunciation. Pleasant to listen to, he supposed, but foreign. – Penny seemed like a nice girl; he would have labeled her innocent if he didn’t know any better.
(Not exactly his type, but he couldn’t deny a beautiful face when he saw one.)

He shuffled a little closer to her. ”How ‘bout it, Miss Stone? Me and you? Sleepin under the stars?” Jahel nudged her.

[Penny Stone]

She followed his gaze up at the sky, she nodded a little at his observation. The moon was near to full which was an easy explanation for why it was so bright, even being so late at night. Another was that this weeks weather hadn't been the drizzly, overcast that it usually was. When cloudless nights were so rare, it made the clear nights seem even clearer. She looked back at him, her gaze wary. He seemed better now, like whatever plagued him had passed. She was glad because she didn't want to have to call Gabriel to tell him a senior member of MSAD had passed out next to her on a bench. It just seemed like it would cast her in a bad light, and the last thing she wanted to do was to get killed before she had her chance in the organization.

The things she read in his eyes raised some questions as to the thoughts in his head, but maybe she was just a little paranoid? He hadn't done anything untoward, or anything to illicit such a feeling from her, but the hairs on her arms prickled all the same. She'd have to keep her wits about her, alone with this one. He continued to behave unpredictably and that made her uncomfortable. Normally, Penny was good at figuring out how a person works shortly after meeting them. When he waved his hand, she dropped her own from his back and folded it with her other hand on her lap. She was pretty sure his words were sarcastic, and a bit rhetorical but she smiled all the same. "As I am glad to have been here in your time of need."

Penny, however, didn't agree with his idea of sleeping outside, especially on a bench in this part of town. Her bed at the compound, or at the apartment (which wasn't far from here, she realized) was much more inviting to her. She really was opposed to the idea, because of all places, a bench? And in the next few hours, the dew would be collecting which would drop the temperature even more. Maybe in the summertime, when the weather was actually pleasant to be in for any length of time, but certainly not now.

Penny was, admittedly quiet, but only by personal preference, she didn't used to be like this. She was loud and not slow to voice her opinions, but after her brother was hospitalized, well something broke. This new world she lived in, of spying and illegal organizations and missions, called for someone with bigger ears than a mouth. Just as well, the less she said (in English) led people to overlook her. Penny was one-hundred percent American, she was born in an American hospital and raised (for a brief amount of years) by her English speaking parents. However, when they more or less abandoned her and her brother to their Grandmother...the old vampire of a woman rarely spoke in English and chose that her new wards needed to learn their roots. It was learn Chinese or get smacked in the face. Before Penny had developed her powers, being bilingual had been hard. Chinese was definitely not the easiest language to learn while also learning English in elementary school, and with her grandmother's strict teaching she chose that learning Chinese was more important. When her powers developed and she moved to Hammel, she could then easily learn any language out there without fear of forgetting a language she already knew.

However, no one in MSAD knew that, and figured she didn't have much of a handle on her English. Levi moving to the compound had helped that notion, because she could speak with him easily without fear of others learning different. She hid behind her foreign reputation just to make it easier to be a wallflower. It may be excessive, and a bit uncalled for, but Penny was careful.

When Jahel moved closer to her, she looked back at him (from the road where she was staring absently at while she thought) and lifted an eyebrow at him. "How about a rain check, until a time of more pleasant weather?" She asked with a kind smile. "We could however...sleep elsewhere, if you'd prefer?" Her eyebrow went up again at her inquiry.