vanillajello | Overland Park, KS, Monday Late Morning (August)

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Overland Park, KS, Monday Late Morning (August)

Kate thought it had been a pretty good weekend all around. Her family had behaved themselves, no major catastrophy had struck, and there'd been plenty of video games and just generally doing nothing useful or productive whatsoever. ... Except for maybe Kate making sure Luke was properly fed, though she was trying to be subtle about that, because ugh, it was such an Alice thing to do and yet she couldn't help it.

Even right now, the objective was to raid the Gregson fridge for pudding cups, because Kate had posited a grand theory (which she'd made up on the spot) that supposedly showed pudding to be of utmost importance in a healthy breakfast. So, to the house next door they went.

On the way, they came across Max in the yard, leaving for work. He seemed a little frustrated, but then he kind of always seemed to, lately. Kate figured it was something to do with his job this time too, like maybe he'd lost another contract or something. She didn't think on it much, too preoccupied with her phone. She was starting to clue in to the fact that her boyfriend had not answered any of her ~~handwavy~~ texts over the weekend. Not that she'd sent anything important or really requiring an answer, it was just that... usually he replied anyway. She was trying to not start worrying.

And pudding was totally gonna help with that.

"Mommy?" she called out absently, eyes still on her phone, as she and Luke came in and headed for the kitchen. There was no answer, though someone was moving upstairs, and Kate shook her head. "Well, it's not like we need her to open the fridge."

[ooc: NFB, and for the houseguest!]

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"True," Luke said as he followed Kate into the kitchen. He had been there long enough that he was more comfortable moving around the place without feeling like a complete stranger. Kate's mother hen'ing also seemed to be paying off since he at least had a bit more color to him after a couple days of eating everything she subtly pushed at him.

"Might need help actually opening the pudding cups, though. They stick sometimes."

Kate snorted. "And this from the guy who taught me all about pointing the... pointy end of a knife at other people," she remarked, sliding the phone in her pocket as she went to the fridge. "Bested by a pudding cup lid. I'm disappointed."

"We all have our weaknesses," he said, sighing. "I'd be appreciative if you were more sensitive towards my downsides."

"I'm sorry but pudding is serious business," she informed him, rummaging around the fridge for the pack she knew was there, somewhere. "That's the one thing I refuse to sugarcoat."

"Well I'll let you open my pudding for me so there will be no accidents," Luke decided. "I imagine you're quite the professional by now."

"There may have been talk of a problem at one point." There was a random, muted thump from upstairs, then something that sounded like swearing. Kate glanced up, then shook her head, and finally found and grabbed the box she'd been looking for. "But yes, I would rather just call myself a pro."

Luke looked up in the direction of where the noise was coming from. "Think someone up there needs help?"

"Eh," Kate replied, shrugging a shoulder, fishing out pudding cups from the packet. "That was probably just Mom dropping something."

Her blasé attitude was down to how often there were random noises. You didn't get far in this house worrying over every sound.

Luke nodded and shrugged it off, blaming his ADHD for being jumpy. "Do you ever eat any flavor other than vanilla?"

"Only once all the vanilla ones are gone," Kate shrugged, handing him a chocolate one. Of course. "Usually Char or someone else eats all the other ones."

There was another thump, and she frowned, looking up again.

"You sure we shouldn't check on her?" Luke asked.

Kate opened her mouth to answer, but then the sound up above turned into Tara (or someone, anyway) walking to the top of the stairs, then starting to descend them into the living room. They were loud steps, like someone annoyed.

"No," Kate said, dryly. "I think she's coming to us."

"Ah." Yeah, Luke could hear that the steps didn't really match up to what he had seen of Kate's mom this weekend. He fiddled with the top of his pudding cup and tried to look nice and innocent, yes. It was a force of habit.

It was probably for the best, because Tara did look pretty damn annoyed, stomping into the kitchen.

Except, of course, it wasn't Tara. The long, wavy hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, there were big glasses that hadn't been there all weekend, and there was no neo-hippie dress, just loose jeans with a t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, and a pair of clunky combat boots.

"What's going on, Buck?" Kate asked, eyeing him just a little warily. He wasn't a rare sight, by any means, but... It was reflex.

"The printer doohickey is jammed," Buck grumbled, in his low Southern drawl, opening a drawer and pawing through it for his pack of smokes. "Age of technology, my ass."

That...was not something Luke had expected to see. Being told about what was up with Kate's mom and seeing it for himself were two very different things. He was surprised and extremely curious, but he forced himself to remain casual.

Or as casual as one could be when encountering an alternate personality of a friend's mother.

"Yeah those things can be a pain in the ass," he said, trying not to do too much staring. Last thing he wanted was to annoy...Buck.

Sometimes Kate felt like staring, too. But for her it was more because she thought her mother was a fairly pretty woman, in her own way, and she just couldn't quite wrap her mind around how... unpretty Buck could make the same face, with his permasneer and his half closed eyes.

"Preachin' to the choir, son," Buck replied, annoyance somewhat abated by the fresh, if as of yet unlit cigarette in his hand. He shook his head. "We didn't need none of that shit back in the day. No sir."

Kate sighed. "I can fix it," she said. "'Less it was porn again, in which case I'm making Moosh deal with it, and his trauma via ladybits is gonna be all on you."

"Now, I am hurt, Katie," Buck replied, giving her a mock offended look as he lit the cigarette. "I ain't sayin' I ain't a man with needs, but like I'm sure your --" He glaned at Luke. "-- tall friend here can tell you, a man can also put those needs aside for nobler deeds."

"It's true, Kate," Luke said, nodding. "But after the nobler deeds are done we tend to go back to our manly needs."

This was so much different than interacting with his own mother.

Kate rolled her eyes, and just reached out to take the cigarette out of Buck's hand and put it out. He barely noticed, giving Luke a raspy laugh of appreciation.

"See, this one knows what I'm saying," he said, reaching out in turn to give Luke's shoulder a little fistbump of masculine solidarity. "Bet you don't need no damn internet box for your needs, though. Face like that, even with the scar, you must have some regular lady somewhere."

Kate snorted.

"Hell, I got my junk blown off in 'Nam and it ain't hurt my luck too bad!"

... Kate made a face.

Luke tried to cover up his laugh at that with a cough but it wasn't all that convincing. "I'm glad to hear you overcame such, uh, adversity."

"Well, a guy learns to compensate," Buck replied with a sly, lazy smirk. "A little tong--"

"Woah, okay," Kate cut in, apparently having reached her limit. "That's... way more than enough of that."

"Spoilsport," Buck scoffed, but squared his shoulder and went to pick up the key to his Harley from a bowl on the table. "But I gotta be on my way anyhow."

Luke gave Buck a little wave. "It was nice meeting you, Buck."

Okay, it was more weird than nice.

"Wheere are you going, anyway?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow. But Buck just shook his head: "Don't you worry your pretty little head 'bout that, Katie-Kate. Just out for a ride."

"Yeah, well, Mom needs to take Aunt Charmaine to an appointment later," kate pointed out, "so she needs to be back by then, or it's gonna be your job to take Char. We clear?"

Buck gave her a slightly noncommittal shrug, and Luke a halfassed salute. "Adios, kiddos," he said, then ambled on his way.

Once he was gone, Kate sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Yeah so that was Buck." Obviously.

"So I gathered," he said lightly, giving her a smile. "He seems...interesting."

"He's... okay, I guess," Kate hazarded, trying for a lopsided smile. "Vaguely amusing when he's not getting anyone into trouble."

"I didn't realize she'd get that into character," Luke said. "Does she always change outfits for her alters like that?"

Kate nodded. "Oh dude, it used to be way worse, too," she said. "I mean, those clothes are probably just some stuff he stole from my dad. They all used to have, like, their own wardrobe, but we got rid of those when we thought they weren't coming back."

Silly Gregsons.

"But yeah. They all kinda have their own style. T's the worst 'cause she keeps stealing my clothes."

"Yeah I could see how that would be annoying," Luke said, his lips quirking into a smile. "Hope you didn't mind me trying to make friends with him."

"I always worry about him punching people he doesn't like." So yeah, she probably didn't mind. "Because he totally beat up my ex once."

"Did your ex deserve it?" he asked.

"Well, my mom saw him shoving me around that day," Kate replied with an eyeroll she couldn't keep back. It felt like that had been approximately a thousand years ago, and it also felt embarrassing that she'd ever let anyone do that to her.

Guess she'd managed to do some growing up. Huh. "So, the general consensus seems to be yes, he's a waste of guyliner who didn't deserve me but totally deserved that. And also, that I used to have really shitty luck with guys."

"He should have been beaten up just for the guyliner," Luke decided. He didn't get why guys did that. Reminded him of Hades.

Kate looked mock affronted. "Hey, I'll have yu know my current boyfriend looks fabulous in guyliner!"

Even if it took a lot cajoling and a very private setting for him to put any on. She waved a hand. "But, if you'd met Ben, you wouldn't have even noticed the eyeliner. He was very into, like... fake Japanese goth stuff. He wore his hair in samurai knots."

Luke lifted his eyebrows. "Were you attracted to the fake Japanese goth stuff?"

"I was young, I didn't know any better!" Kate exclaimed in her own defence, even if she couldn't help laughing a little. "I was a very confused fifteen-year-old."

"I suppose I can forgive that," he said, chuckling. "If it were more recent I'd be questioning your taste."

"Yeah well, after Ben I slept with my creepy manager from the crappy seafood place I worked at," Kate shared, making a face. "So, feel free to judge. I know I'm judging me pretty hard for both of those."

"If it makes you feel any better I've slept with a couple of wood nymphs," Luke shared. "They're really ditzy and talk too much and if you litter they put bugs and stuff in your bed."

And also they were, like, part tree.

"Ew, super hippies." Even without knowing about the tree thing. "Though I bet they're pretty, at least. Manager dude wasn't."

"Yeah, they're kind of nice looking," Luke agreed. "You know, for beings with green skin."

Kate quirked a brow. "Really? That happens outside Oz and... whatever it was that made that one chick Jennifer green?" She really shouldn't have been surprised. "Well, I guess it would be racist to think them ugly for that."

"They'd also probably do horrible things to you if you suggested they weren't anything less than beautiful," Luke told her. "Nymphs are bitchy."

"Well, aren't all pretty people?" Kate asked with a lopsided little smirk sent his way. "You're looking somewhat better than when you showed up, by the way."

"Thanks," he said, looking down at himself. "You keep feeding me."

Busted. Kate exhaled a laugh. "Yeah, well. You need to eat, you looked like crap."

She was from the 'let me take care of you, you fucking idiot' school of mother hens.

"A lot of people have been telling me that lately." Or, well, Percy had been numerous times. "I appreciate you helping, though. I've lost a lot of friends over the last few months."

"Lesser quality friends, obviously," Kate replied with trademark flippancy, though her expression turned wry. "But, you know, I don't have any stake in your war, except you. And I probably owe you a good part of my sanity this year." She shrugged a shoulder. "So, you're totally welcome here."

"Thanks," he said, giving her a smile. "I'll try not to obnoxiously take advantage of that."

"Yeah, I'm sure there's a risk of that happening," she drawled, amused. "'Sides, my mom houses six other people in her head, so I figure I can occasionally put up with an extra one in my home."

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Overland Park, KS, Monday Late Morning (August)

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