Pretty sure friends don?t spy on friends. Some strange voice in her head chided Jet as she sat on Vio?s roof in the shadows. From her vantage point she could look down into the woman's apartment with ease and see the studio space, the dining room and the kitchen. Jet had sliced into Vio?s home defenses and it now just thought she was a bird on the roof, nothing to be worried about. She would reset the security when she left but for now she could watch without fear of discovery.
Watching Vio go about her work had been strangely calming, cleaning up area that already appeared spotless and then arranging things in the kitchen so that certain items were more obvious to a stranger that would need such things to cook. Her home was sparsely decorated and mostly illuminated by candles. The place had electricity, Vio just preferred either brash, brilliant sunlight -- as her large skylight in the living room would allow, or the flickering flames that candles provided. Jet was never quite sure why this was but it never seemed important to figure out, it wasn?t as if she wasn?t rife with quirks.
Brooklyn arrived about an hour after the sunset and while he was looking good she didn?t think he put quite enough effort into it. They?d met years ago in a bar where Jet had been waiting on a mark and needed to fit in while she did so; that person just sulking in the corner nursing a drink tended to attract more attention than a couple engaged in flirtation. The bar had a nice crowd gathered but after a quick sweep of the room Brooklyn had drawn her like a moth to light. He wasn?t classically handsome but there was something about him, something undeniable in his presence that for her -- having few boundaries to begin with -- made him the only choice that evening.
Years later she was beginning to notice a pattern that she seemed attracted to those with unusual mental abilities. There was nothing she could pinpoint that explained this but it was a truth that was clear if you lined up the only people she had been close with over the years.
You should not have told Vio of Brooklyn's secret. For a woman so very close with such things why would you tell the one he is the most sensitive about? Why would you throw the two of them together without giving Brooklyn the same warning? What do you think will happen when his gift and hers are unleashed in close proximity? Are you using your friends as guinea pigs? That same voice chided her mercilessly. She kicked it in the head and shoved it in a mental box, warning. ?Quiet Schrodinger's Cat or I will keep you in there long enough I am sure you are dead.?
Why had she set the two of them up that way? It wasn?t planned, she?d been out to breakfast with Vio when she swiped the woman?s phone and sent a text to Brooklyn asking him to meet her at the Glen at noon. One of the things Jet had harped on Vio about was her tendency to have a predictable schedule. Vio could, on a day without rain, always be found at the Glen at noon.
She?d been there for that meeting too, it had gone well as far as she could tell, they had made plans to have Brooklyn cook Vio dinner tonight so that was a sign of success, right? Jet wasn?t sure why Vio hadn?t taken him home then, but that was Jet... that had been Jet. Meet a man that she felt drawn to, and she was sure that Vio was drawn to Brooklyn, and take him home. Admittedly this did not happen often for Jet but it had happened only once for Vio in the years since she had known her and that one had been... not a good choice. Now she had Sergei.
You will fail at that, maybe that is why you are trying to get Brooklyn with Vio? If he is unavailable you would never show up at his house, late at night, to enjoy his ? prowess. Mentally she kicked the box. ?Hush, last warning or you are one solved mystery, the cat will be dead. Period.?
She had sliced into the audio bugs Vio had in her place and was listening to the conversation as Brooklyn went about the business of preparing the food for consumption. They had seated themselves at the table, a cozy affair with candles being the only light and full wine glasses. She didn?t need to hear the question to know what made Vio go cold and expressionless. Brooklyn had asked how she met Jet and that always brought up the memories of him. Vio could roll with so many problems, deal with the punches life threw at her with such grace usually that the reaction to that one topic was so distinct Jet could tell immediately that the woman was brooding upon it in her thoughts.
Brooklyn was also easy for her to read, the set of his shoulders said that he thought the night ruined because of one seemingly innocent question. He backpedaled, verbally, and tried to pull the conversation to the topic of Vio?s sparse decor.
Vio was not so easily thrown and had come to a decision that she would be open and honest with Brooklyn, a testament that Jet had made a good decision (even if it was based on something not as good) in introducing them. Vio gave him the short version of how she met Jet and then moved on to other topics while tasting the food Brooklyn had prepared. Jet was impressed that she did not say something acerbic upon first taste, Vio tended to be a harsh food critic, perhaps she was too distracted to really taste the food.
It didn?t take long for Jet to note the shift in her friends. A subtle difference from when Brooklyn had entered until that moment when Vio gracefully, and in a predatory fashion rose from her seat and closed the distance that had been separating the two of them. Jet watched as Vio slid a hand across Brooklyn?s chest and up his throat to cup behind his neck, fingers tangling in his fine, dark hair. The words brought clearly to her ear via the bug, ?You are very handsome, Brooklyn. Can I try out a small taste of dessert now?? Said with that sultry, sexy accent that Jet envied.
There was a stab of something in her chest as she watched the two of them, the pain of it so sudden that she nearly cried out in shock. Jealousy is an unknown foe to you. The dark voice from the box chuckled in amusement. ?That?s it, dead. Not sure where you came from bub but you?re not getting out of that box alive.? Jealousy? No, surely not.
Still... when Vio leaned in and kissed Brooklyn, a gentle brush of lips followed by something much less gentle and the precursor for something more she found herself turning away. Re-establishing Vio?s defenses before she climbed down from the roof and headed toward her home. Sending a text to Sergei, she wanted to see him tonight... perhaps needed to see him.
Watching Vio go about her work had been strangely calming, cleaning up area that already appeared spotless and then arranging things in the kitchen so that certain items were more obvious to a stranger that would need such things to cook. Her home was sparsely decorated and mostly illuminated by candles. The place had electricity, Vio just preferred either brash, brilliant sunlight -- as her large skylight in the living room would allow, or the flickering flames that candles provided. Jet was never quite sure why this was but it never seemed important to figure out, it wasn?t as if she wasn?t rife with quirks.
Brooklyn arrived about an hour after the sunset and while he was looking good she didn?t think he put quite enough effort into it. They?d met years ago in a bar where Jet had been waiting on a mark and needed to fit in while she did so; that person just sulking in the corner nursing a drink tended to attract more attention than a couple engaged in flirtation. The bar had a nice crowd gathered but after a quick sweep of the room Brooklyn had drawn her like a moth to light. He wasn?t classically handsome but there was something about him, something undeniable in his presence that for her -- having few boundaries to begin with -- made him the only choice that evening.
Years later she was beginning to notice a pattern that she seemed attracted to those with unusual mental abilities. There was nothing she could pinpoint that explained this but it was a truth that was clear if you lined up the only people she had been close with over the years.
You should not have told Vio of Brooklyn's secret. For a woman so very close with such things why would you tell the one he is the most sensitive about? Why would you throw the two of them together without giving Brooklyn the same warning? What do you think will happen when his gift and hers are unleashed in close proximity? Are you using your friends as guinea pigs? That same voice chided her mercilessly. She kicked it in the head and shoved it in a mental box, warning. ?Quiet Schrodinger's Cat or I will keep you in there long enough I am sure you are dead.?
Why had she set the two of them up that way? It wasn?t planned, she?d been out to breakfast with Vio when she swiped the woman?s phone and sent a text to Brooklyn asking him to meet her at the Glen at noon. One of the things Jet had harped on Vio about was her tendency to have a predictable schedule. Vio could, on a day without rain, always be found at the Glen at noon.
She?d been there for that meeting too, it had gone well as far as she could tell, they had made plans to have Brooklyn cook Vio dinner tonight so that was a sign of success, right? Jet wasn?t sure why Vio hadn?t taken him home then, but that was Jet... that had been Jet. Meet a man that she felt drawn to, and she was sure that Vio was drawn to Brooklyn, and take him home. Admittedly this did not happen often for Jet but it had happened only once for Vio in the years since she had known her and that one had been... not a good choice. Now she had Sergei.
You will fail at that, maybe that is why you are trying to get Brooklyn with Vio? If he is unavailable you would never show up at his house, late at night, to enjoy his ? prowess. Mentally she kicked the box. ?Hush, last warning or you are one solved mystery, the cat will be dead. Period.?
She had sliced into the audio bugs Vio had in her place and was listening to the conversation as Brooklyn went about the business of preparing the food for consumption. They had seated themselves at the table, a cozy affair with candles being the only light and full wine glasses. She didn?t need to hear the question to know what made Vio go cold and expressionless. Brooklyn had asked how she met Jet and that always brought up the memories of him. Vio could roll with so many problems, deal with the punches life threw at her with such grace usually that the reaction to that one topic was so distinct Jet could tell immediately that the woman was brooding upon it in her thoughts.
Brooklyn was also easy for her to read, the set of his shoulders said that he thought the night ruined because of one seemingly innocent question. He backpedaled, verbally, and tried to pull the conversation to the topic of Vio?s sparse decor.
Vio was not so easily thrown and had come to a decision that she would be open and honest with Brooklyn, a testament that Jet had made a good decision (even if it was based on something not as good) in introducing them. Vio gave him the short version of how she met Jet and then moved on to other topics while tasting the food Brooklyn had prepared. Jet was impressed that she did not say something acerbic upon first taste, Vio tended to be a harsh food critic, perhaps she was too distracted to really taste the food.
It didn?t take long for Jet to note the shift in her friends. A subtle difference from when Brooklyn had entered until that moment when Vio gracefully, and in a predatory fashion rose from her seat and closed the distance that had been separating the two of them. Jet watched as Vio slid a hand across Brooklyn?s chest and up his throat to cup behind his neck, fingers tangling in his fine, dark hair. The words brought clearly to her ear via the bug, ?You are very handsome, Brooklyn. Can I try out a small taste of dessert now?? Said with that sultry, sexy accent that Jet envied.
There was a stab of something in her chest as she watched the two of them, the pain of it so sudden that she nearly cried out in shock. Jealousy is an unknown foe to you. The dark voice from the box chuckled in amusement. ?That?s it, dead. Not sure where you came from bub but you?re not getting out of that box alive.? Jealousy? No, surely not.
Still... when Vio leaned in and kissed Brooklyn, a gentle brush of lips followed by something much less gentle and the precursor for something more she found herself turning away. Re-establishing Vio?s defenses before she climbed down from the roof and headed toward her home. Sending a text to Sergei, she wanted to see him tonight... perhaps needed to see him.