Lounging - Ella Open Tags

[Ella Tate]

The colorful candy cane drooped down from the corner of Ella's mouth as she lay sprawled over the floor by the window in the staff lounge. Sucking on the minty sweet candy on occasion, Ella flipped to the next page of her trashy novel she had been reading the past week. It had been a slow week even with the paperwork and Ella was starting to get bored.

One hand shot up to the table over her as it blindly searched for the mug of hot cocoa she had put up there only to have it moved to her hand. She carefully pulled it down, only moving her head to sip from it, loving the taste of rich dark chocolate and mint swirling in her mouth.

"Thanks," she said absent-mindedly, careful that her candy didn't leave her mouth. It took her a few seconds before she realised that she had to be thanking somebody so she turned and found one of the staff standing over her. "Oh hi." She closed her book and slipped it under her bum, not wanting anybody to know she read those things.

[Mary Savage]

Savvy put out her cigarette on the bottom of her shoe and shoved it into a trashcan on her way into the main building. The refrigerator in the staff lounge was acting up - again - and she needed to go fix it. She'd learned that this thing was incredibly frustrating, thus the cigarette beforehand. She stepped into the staff lounge, expecting it to be empty, only it wasn't. On the floor by the window was a pretty little brunette. She didn't even twitch when Savvy came through the door she was so engrossed in whatever it was she was reading. Savvy being Savvy, she had to go check out what it was. She walked over, still unnoticed, and read a few sentences over the other girls shoulder. This was steamy! Savvy had a very sudden appreciation for the woman sitting beneath her, in more ways than one.

As she was getting ready to open her mouth and tell her exactly what she thought of trashy novels, the other woman's hand shot up, startling Savvy out of her reverie. Ah, she must be reaching for the mug on the table! Savvy picked it up and carefully placed it in the grasping hand, careful not to spill it on her. She leaned back on the table and watched how intently the other woman was eating up the words that were smoldering on the pages. "You're welcome," She replied, a sly smile spreading across her face. She stuck a hand down to shake the other woman's. "I'm Savvy. You have excellent taste in literature."

[Ella Tate]

Ella grinned sheepishly at the woman's comment about the book. No use hiding the book now. She pulled it out from under her and let Savvy view the book. "It's pretty good. I mean, I'm no expert." Ella laughed. Her candy cane dropped but she managed to get it just in time and popped it into her mouth again.

"I'm Ella." She extended the hand that wasn't too sticky to shake the other woman's. "Either I must be really new or you are. I've never seen you around before." The brunette ran her fingers through her thick wavy hair before taking a sip from her hot cocoa. "Are you a trainer...?" She was really bad at the whole knowing people and their jobs here. Granted, she did just sign up for the position she had two months ago.

[Mary Savage]

Savvy flipped through the book that Ella handed her. The writing style wasn't bad, and the descriptions were... graphic. Only problem for Savvy was that it was, as far as she'd read, a pretty normal romance novel (Normal romance novel: Girl + Boy = Love). "Wonder if the author does any girl on girl romance?" She mused out loud, not really thinking about the fact that her musings could make the woman sitting beneath her uncomfortable. "I guess I could always pretend, but Richard is a pretty masculine name." She continued, still blissfully unaware of how awkward she could be making Ella feel.

Savvy tore her eyes away from the book, closed it, and handed it back to it's owner. She didn't really feel like getting herself all hot and bothered right before facing her greatest enemy. "That's a pretty name. It matches you nicely." She said with a slightly lecherous smile in place. Okay, maybe it was a little late for the hot and bothered thing. Savvy's lips twitched in amusement at Ella's question. Was she a trainer? Psh! Like anyone would let her near the training rooms anymore. She didn't think she'd been completely forgiven for filling her trainer's office with spiders once. "Nah! I'm the glue that holds this institution together. And I don't mean that figuratively. I work maintenance. I'm supposed to fix that stupid fridge. Really, they should just get a new one. The school would save a ton on overtime." As she said this she slid down the wall to sit next to Ella. At least she was in the same room as the beast, but she'd really rather talk to the cutie next to her than deal with that heap of cold garbage.

[Ella Tate]

[OOC: I didn't realise this until now but Ella is 5 years older than Savvy!]

BIC:

"He does," Ella said, probably surprising the other woman given her train of thought. The dark haired recruiter didn't know exactly what floated her boat but after having been with both sexes and enjoying both quite immensely, Ella figured there didn't seem to be a reason not to be with either. "I have his collection at home if you're interested in them." She continued, now quite certain the other woman had very feminine inclinations.

She stretched a little, exposing her slightly tanned stomach and plucked the book from Savvy's grasp setting it by her side. Tilting her head slightly to the side, she regarded the other woman for a second, taking in the not so innocent smile before grinning. "Thank you. I haven't gotten that in awhile." She mused.

Maintenance? Ella wouldn't have guessed.

The mention of the fridge had the older woman gazing over to the contraption. Until today, she had never utilised the machine simply because it made this noise that made Ella jump. "Oh so you're my knight in shining armor then." Ella simpered jokingly as the younger woman slid down next to her. Unconsciously, the recruiter sidled closer.

"But overtime would mean you get to have more money. Isn't that the American dream?" Ella teased.

[Mary Savage]

Savvy nearly fell the last few inches to the floor at Ella's comment. He did? And she had them? And she was willing to say that she had them? Oh praise the lord, hallelujah! "Yes." Savvy said, her surprise making her sound a little more blunt than she meant to. "I mean, yes, yes I am interested. Would you mind if I borrowed one? You know where I work, it's not like I can take off with it or anything." She asked with her most winning expression on her face. She would really, really like to read those!

Savvy swallowed hard as Ella's stomach peeped out. That was a very cute tan she had. It made her wonder if there were any tan lines, or it she was tan everywhere... She forced herself to snap out of it. This was neither the time not the place to be thinking like that! "You're very welcome." She said, the flirtation in her smile spreading despite her best efforts to the contrary, which, to be honest, we're not much.

Savvy sat up straighter and put a hand up against her chest. "Yup! That would be me. Here to slay the dragon that spews ice at inopportune moments." She tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't. She just wasn't the kind of person who could be serious, even if it was fake serious. Savvy leaned into Ella and whispered conspiratorially, "Honestly, I've been thinking about actually slaying it. Sure it's more money, but it's just not worth the ungodly amount of work that thing needs. Have you heard it growl yet? I sometimes wonder if it's a refrigerator or a shape-shifter who got stuck like that." She eyed it with true loathing, before turning a mischievous eye back to Ella.

[Ella Tate]

Ella smiled at Savvy's unabashed interest in the novels. "I don't mind at all. You can even keep some if you want. I've read the entire collection." The dark haired recruiter pushed a lock of hair that fell into her face and chuckled at her companion's reassurance that she wouldn't run off with her books. There were a lot of books that Ella had put up on her shelf in the corner of her room that she wouldn't mind giving away, more so if there was interest on the recipient's end. And Savvy was full of interest.

Once the younger woman was sitting right beside her, Ella couldn't help but smile when she made light of how she had been Ella's 'saviour'. The recruiter kept her laugh to a minimum as the other woman spoke of how the fridge could actually be a stuck shifter, which now that Ella thought about it, was quite plausible, with the groans the machine emitted at random moments.

It was a laughable notion obviously since Ella didn't get the tingle she usually got whenever she was close to a person with power. Which she was experiencing right now with Savvy. Ella wondered what it was as she drew back her suppression, something that was a little cumbersome since she actually had to concentrate on it.

Of course, her inate curiosity, as it usually did, got the best of her. "So, what's your power?" She asked bluntly. She reasoned that the question wouldn't be taken as a surprise since they were in an institute that held hundreds upon hundreds of people who had powers.

[Mary Savage]

Savvy might just be in love. She'd just met this woman, and she was letting her not just borrow, but keep her girly-porn? "That would be awesome. I like his, ah, level of detail." She said, her eyes getting dreamy. What little she'd read in the ten seconds she'd skimmed the book had been enough to bring wonderful mental images. Savvy was becoming a serious fan of this man, whoever he was. Honestly, he was probably some ugly pervert living in his parent's basement, but she could pretend he was a pretty-boy with long hair and a smooth face. It helped with the romance.

Savvy was starting to like Ella, and hoped she wasn't scared of spiders. That was often something that drove people away, if they weren't simply intimidated by her strange clothing and open demeanor. "Arachnid control." She answered, watching Ella's response. "How 'bout you?" Her eyes went wide with pretend shock, "Don't tell me you can turn people into inanimate objects!"

[Ella Tate]

Laughing at Savvy's comment, Ella shoulder bumped her new companion playfully. "I'm sure to pass it on. He's a uh...friend of mine." She chose her words carefully, considering that this was the boy [she refused to call him a man on the grounds of how he broke up with her. Sure she was happy for him in the long run, but embarrassing her in front of her peers just to make her break up with him was a hell no in her books] who left her for another man.

"Arachnid control as in...you get to make spiders dance in the air?" She asked, her raspy voice lilting at the end, almost making her sound squeaky. Her eyes shone with curiosity. She had never really been afraid of bugs except for cockroaches. Those things are just nasty and creepy and they were going to outlive humans. It was not natural. Especially those that can fly. But spiders...spiders she could deal with.

She was only three when she first encountered spiders. One had gotten on her pink and white polka dot dress and she had picked it up only to put it down on the pavement as she stretched out on her belly to watch it crawl lazily away.

Of course, she wasn't about to tell Savvy that. It wasn't a big deal or anything but she doubted the woman would even care anyway. "That's a cool power. You could actually control Spiderman." Ella chuckled, which turned to a laugh at Savvy's guess. "No, no. Although that would be a rather cool power. But no. Mine's a little lame I guess. I just suppress powers." Ella ran her fingers through her hair and finally realised just how close they were.

Any other person would have felt uncomfortable with this but Ella found it comforting, and warm. "Hey, won't you get into trouble for not doing anything with that fridge?" She teased.

[Mary Savage]

Savvy had, actually, made spiders dance. Many times, in fact. She smiled at Ella, her blue eyes twinkling. "Oh, I can make them dance, but there really are more amusing things to do. The best thing to do is get a mass of them together, put them in a someone's desk, and wait for them to open it. It's priceless!" Savvy's eyes went far away for a second, her smile becoming slightly malicious. She never really meant anything mean by it, it was just funny.

Savvy looked at Ella closely. That was why the voices had gotten a little quieter. She had a stash of spiders that she found around the school in a crawl space under it, and there was always some quiet chatter going on in her head. Well, not chatter really, more like random thoughts of <!food!> and <!light!> that were accompanied by something akin to a human emotion, but certainly not the same. "Honestly, in a place like this, that's probably more useful. Though dancing spiders are a great cure for boredom." She lifted her hands in the air as if she was playing with a puppet. When Ella ran her fingers though her own hair, a strand that had been precariously perched on her ear came tumbling forward. Savvy reached out, without thinking, and tucked it behind. "You have great hair." She commented, very little of her usual kidding tone in her voice.

Savvy made a face that spoke of her extreme innocence in neglecting her duty. "I'm doing something with it! I'm glowering at it. That is a required part of trying to fix it." She teased back. She probably should go deal with it, but she really didn't want to. She was the only person who had been even halfway willing to work on it, so everyone could just deal with it getting done slowly.

[Ella Tate]

Stifling her laughter, Ella adopted a mock disappointed face. "That is so mean." She reprimanded the younger woman before grinning widely. "I personally wouldn't do it but that would be hilarious." She admitted. If she had her way, she would actually let Savvy do it just so she could see the reaction on the person's face.

Why no, she really wasn't that mean. Just curious.

"Well, it's pretty good to have my powers in my line of work for sure but really, what else is it good for right?" Ella tilted her head at Savvy's mimicry and laughed. "Yeah it would definitely entertain me." Her voice trailed when Savvy tucked a runaway lock of hair behind Ella's ear and complimented her on it.

Ella gave a little smile, thanking Savvy as she lightly patted the younger woman's hand. She chuckled at Savvy's disdain towards the contraption. "I could keeep you company while you work on it if you like. I don't actually have much paperwork. For now. So...yeah." Ella offered with a smile.

[Mary Savage]

Savvy pretended to be shocked. "It is not mean! I've only ever done it to people who deserved it." She stuck out her tongue, the metal rod through it glinting in the fluorescent light. "I'm sure you've never played a practical joke on someone. You seem like the sweet little angel type." She smirked, thinking about the book she had been reading. Angel, yeah right!

Savvy smiled flirtatiously at Ella, "If I find one under the fridge, I'll be sure to make it dance for you. What would you like? Macarena?" She asked, as if she were asking her what kind of wine she'd like with her dinner. Savvy looked at Ella's hair, and she wanted to pet it. It was a strange habit of hers, but she liked hair. At least, she liked head hair. Body hair was icky.

Savvy got up as far as her knees and stretched before standing up. "I really should deal with that stupid thing. And thanks for the company, that will definitely make this less awful. In fact, I may just enjoy myself. I'd have never thought that could happen with this crazy contraption." Savvy laughed a little, and then got up and walked over to the fridge. She snaked her fingers around behind it, and with care she moved it away from the wall. She'd been doing stuff like this for years, and as a result actually had the upper body strength to move a fridge, even if she could only move it a little. She rummaged around in her bag for a second and came out with a small flashlight, which she shone in to find the plug. She didn't want to electrocute herself! She looked back at Ella, "Well, step one is done. And as I always say, getting started is half the battle." She smirked. Maybe fixing this thing wouldn't be so bad. She might even draw it out if Ella decided to keep her company the whole time.

[Ella Tate]

Knowing Savvy was just joking around, Ella did her bit of joking by shrugging and giving her an innocent and sweet smile. "What can I say? I've got a halo." She drew a circular shape over her head and pressed her hands together. "See, convincing aren't I?" Her smile turned into a smirk. She was far from an angel. She had done her fair share of pranks in her youth that had to be meaner than a desk full of spiders.

Ella got up and followed Savvy to the fridge, laughing at her 'offer'. She plopped herself on the couch, her candy cane dissolving slowly in her mouth as she propped her chin on her arm that was wrapped over the armrest. She looked on as Savvy managed to move the fridge. No spiders yet.

When the younger woman turned to her, Ella laughed at her ridiculous logic. "Sure," she grinned. "So how long have you been doing this? Maintenance I mean." Might as well get to know the girl who had been her 'knight in shining piercings' when it came to the fridge.

[Mary Savage]

[OOC: OMG! I'm still alive! I promise! Here, I have proof!]

Savvy snorted laughter, looking at Ella over her shoulder. "I think your halo is being held up by a cute little pair of devil horns, hun." She teased, returning Ella's smirk. If it wasn't totally obvious, Savvy had made more than her fair share of trouble over the years, and was planning on doing more. Life just wasn't fun without trouble.

Savvy actually had to think about Ella's question. She wasn't exactly formally trained, she had always just been good at fixing things. "Mechanically inclined" was how she liked to think of it. "I've only been here since the beginning of December, but I've been doing odd jobs with my friends and family for years. Hell, I've known where all the leaky pipes are here since my first year of high school." That would be because of all the times she'd decided that a crawl space she'd never explored was more interesting than her history class. Or her English class. Or her math class. Thinking back, exploring was more fun than pretty much all of her classes. "I could show you some of my favorite hiding spots sometime. They're a little dusty, but very private." Her mouth twitched up at one corner, her playful smirk turning slightly more seductive. "And the insulation makes most of them basically sound proof." She still had the smile on, but had buried her face behind the refrigerator again. With her flashlight she could instantly see what the problem was. There were mice in the staff lounge. again. She sighed, not wanting to hurt the little guys just to make her life easier. She'd think of something.

[Ella Tate]

"I am rather proud of my horns," Ella lifted a shoulder with a tilt of her head and a little grin. "They're rather superb."

She waited before Savvy explained how long she had been in Hammel. "Oh that means you were here when I was too? How come I never saw you around before?" Ella was genuinely curious, as always. That did mean they were both new though...so the chances of them having met before were a little slim, seeing as the place was gigantic and there had to more than a couple hundred people in the compound, it wasn't really a thing that they haven't met before. They have now.

Ella raised an eyebrow at Savvy's invitation but she visibly sat up straight. Private...? Sound proof...? Was the younger woman coming on to her or was Ella reading too much into it? But before she could get an answer out of the girl, she had disappeared behind the contraption and Ella huffed.

"So, what else do you have planned for the day?"