2019-08-27 - Pushing Buttons

Usually, if Lilith is in Byron's car, for some reason it's either dark or rainy or one of them is in a mood. Today, it's daylight, and both of them are in a mood of the uplifted variety instead of circumstance beaten otherwise. It's been a pretty goddamn decent day for the pair of them. Therefore, when Lilith is seated on a towel pulled out of her backpack (she planned ahead to ask for the ride, see, and knew she'd be dirty), she buckles in and immediately starts pushing the Spirit of Ecstacy button to make the Rolls signature symbol on the hood go up and down.

"Who took you down, anyway? I didn't see? And what is this symbol called? Does it go up and down because people steal them? I wonder what they're worth..." Typical pawn broker mind, there for a moment, the Winslow in her singing out.

Before he even got into his car, Byron changed shirts, at least. This is why he carries extra clothes around with him! He didn't even wait for a shower, he simply removed one shirt and replaced it with another. So rather than wear anything that could possibly be tarnished with red paint or grass stains, he wears a clean black T-shirt instead. He obviously comes prepared, but he has extra packed up regularly.

Once the car starts up and he pulls out onto the road, he reaches over to toy with the AC. They were out in the summer heat, running around and doing all sorts of physical activity, the cool air is a God send right now. At first, he just assumed that Lilith wanted to play around with the radio and he doesn't notice that the miniature figure on the hood of his Rolls is suddenly beginning to lower. That is until his attention is returned back to the road after his curiosity of what his passenger is doing.

He doesn't really say anything once it starts happening, finding some amusement in her playing with the symbol of the Rolls Royce in that manner. "Easton Marshall." He murmurs the guy's name. His bully. "I was overconfidence in my ability to take him down, I didn't realize that at the last moment, he turned his rifle on me." His hands move upon the steering wheel, turning the car smoothly to the right, "And that's exactly why you're able to raise and lower it. When I first got the car, I did what you're doing right now. It's pretty frivolous, but then I'm sure that before you were able to do that, many a Spirits were probably stolen."

Though he's been in town longer, he trying to decide on something, "What's a good ethnic restaurant? Do you have a favorite one that stands out? Asking for a tenant."

Lilith is at least pacing herself with the button pressing. She lets it go up. She takes a moment and moves it up and down again. Considers visibly after something Byron says, then picks out her phone to google something or another. While she scrolls through results, she absently presses the button again, eyes flitting over the lenses of the sunglasses she put on to watch it come up while thoughtful, "Oh hell, that was Easton Marshall? Well then. I thought he looked familiar. But you're kind of lucky I didn't know that or friendly accidental fire in the chaos might have been a thing. Not that I'm bitter or childish or anything. The only reason I didn't kneecap him myself is because it would have embarrassed you. You were the prince."

The brunette slants her lips a little bit because naturally, when you're boys and girls of a certain age-- you play prince and princess, you get pretend married (which probably attests to exactly why Lilith reminded Byron 'for better or worse' on his way to the shower with worm guts), you do silly dances and play house and all that stuff while the other boys aren't looking, even if there were certain levels of complaints in certain age ranges.

Then abruptly, she starts to laugh as the full name for the Rolls symbol she's playing with comes up, "Oh. My. God. It's called a Spirit of Ecstasy? I'm pushing your ecstasy trigger, Byron. This is amazing to know. But mm. You know the next town has that Brazilian restaurant that has a whole lot of expensive choice meat and plantains and things with chimichurri. Also, though, in that strip mall that went up? I got Jamaican takeout from some place in there and they have a little cafe set up too with outdoors seating in summer. It's not big, but it's... clean and modern and easy and... nice. And the jerk spices are tops."

Lilith can play with that button all she wants, Byron doesn't look as if he'll complain. She isn't being reckless with it, if there's any way to be reckless. The ride is quiet and smooth, the temperature within comfortable and here they are discussing Easton Marshall. "It's hard to tell without the preppy clothes he used to wear." His gaze only momentarily pulls from the road to check and see what Lilith is up to beside him, "He's a military man. Probably should have dealt with him in the beginning." His eyes return ahead of him now, "That would've been a good tactic, but I had had my hands full with Bella of all people. At least I took her out." If there's gloating to this, it's something more akin to relief.

Lilith may not be bitter or childish, but Byron doesn't say much else about it, except for the fact that she called him the prince. He really was a sort of Prince. Well, he preferred to be looked on as a knight, but he had always thought of his father as the King of their Castle. So a prince would be fitting.

The laughter that rings out and the explanation that follows has him grinning from ear to ear. It's a little embarrassing when she puts it that way and there's just the tiniest hint of that burn at his cheeks when she jokes about pressing his ecstasy trigger. "I didn't want to bring it up and just let you press that button. Though I'm sure you won't be able to stop yourself from doing so now." While a Brazilian restaurant sounds delightful and right up his new tenant's alley, he has to say, "Expecting him to go out of his way to the next time seems like pushing it. But he's not a fan of Americana. Though.. Jamaican? That sounds reasonable." He then gestures towards her phone, "Message me the details," A pause, "Unless you want to head that way now and I can determine if this is the right place to draw a writer's interest."

"If you start making noises while I do it, I might call you fair game warmed up and hop seats, sir." Lilith explains to Byron before relenting at the button pressing and going to push the gps buttons instead for the local listing to direct him, "This one. That new stuff went up in the strip mall a while back, I guess. Unsure exactly when." Leaning back in her seat and confident enough it'll fit the bar with food alone, she drops her phone after to look at the man in his seat with a tick of her sunglasses down her nose, "In fact, we probably should give it a test run so I don't tell you to pull over and take out game adrenaline on that blush."

Yes. This is Lilith making things worse under the assumption he won't try and call her bluff. She thinks anyway. Pretty sure. They were having a pretty nice day, maybe she should shut up. After pushing her sunglasses up the bridge of her nose again, she shifts to hip a little in her seat to watch Byron driving, "A writer like... the one you were sealing the deal with a while back or... is this a British one? I saw a man claiming to be one buying locals drinks, probably to get them to spill town secrets. Poor guy is going to get more than he probably wants, if it's who I'm thinking of. Can't recall his name or know if I actually heard it, though."

It comes as some relief when Lilith stops toying with the Spirit of Ecstasy. It's cute and all, but it can get old really fast. After Byron got it out of his own system, he sometimes doesn't even notice that it's there, despite it being the hood ornament that represents the Rolls to a T. "The strip mall. In Downtown?" He knows where Downtown is! "That's something that I may need to look into. As much as I'd like to give our visitors that small town feel, to make this festival work, we may need a little fancier fare. Good Italian cuisine could be a good sta--" He would say more but Lilith is seated there, staring at him from over the tops of her sunglasses and talking about this game adrenaline that still pumping through them right now.

She's not exactly the Lilith he knew back when they were kids, though that is how he best remembers her as, but he'd seen the other side of her when she allowed him a glimpse into her life through the cord she'd given him. "You really are a sexy little minx aren't you?" He asks rhetorically, though he can't help but allow his eyes to wander over her in quiet thought before returning to focus back on the road.

It really was a pretty good day. The weather was nice, they got to have some fun. He even took out a couple of folks during paintball. The GHPD was victorious. He's still wearing that cap. It's not hard to tell that he's considering something or other, but once she brings up his tenant, seemingly knowing exactly which writer this is, he nods slowly, "This one's a real writer, not a wannabe writer. And, I think we are talking about the same guy. British, well-dressed. I'd actually read a few books by him." He tries to remember the full title, "The Dark Heart of New England, I believe it was called. He has a whole series on the local legends from various locations." His gaze drifts back to her, "He might really put Gray Harbor on the map."

"Oh? So he's not a flake. Interesting. I don't know if that's particularly a good thing for others, but it's good for business and we both happen to be businesspeople, so really, that's a future them-problem, not ours. We have enough problems." Lilith seems a bit thrown into quiet with Byron's commentary that's more thought provoking than compliment, it seems, but she recovers with a reach toward the man's top edge of an ear, "And we can call it sunburn instead of a blush. It actually might be, now that I'm touching and looking at it."

The brunette shifts hand and tickles in place suddenly at the hollowed curve just under the lobe of his ear to make him squirm while driving, then pulls her hand back just before he gets to the level of potentially swatting at her or grabbing for her hand. And while she does that-- "How many days is the festival going to last?" Casual as hell.

Driving their way to Downtown, the traffic gets a little clogged here, if that's ever a real problem in Gray Harbor. But there are more cars in Downtown than anywhere else in town. "He gave me a brochure from a similar festival to mind, kind of, held in New England. I've looked it over and may incorporate some of their ideas into mine. But theirs was more of a workshop, mine, a presentation." Byron tries to explain, before he's distracted by that touch to his ear, meaning that she's leaning that much closer to view that curved edge. "Sunburn, I like that." He says, lips spread into a smile, "Unless it's an actual sunburn, then I'd prefer the blush." There's comfort in this closeness and he turns to her to grace with a pleased enough smile to her assessment.

It's only when he directs his attention to the road like any good driver would that he feels her try to tickle him, an act that makes him twitch a little with his shoulder on that side lifting before he actually does try to remove her hand just before she does so herself. He makes sure to keep one hand on the steering wheel the whole time. "Jesus, Lilith." It's a mixture of laughter and annoyance all rolled into one. That doesn't stop him from rubbing at the side of his ear to help sooth the ticklish sensation which still lingers like a ghost. "Three days. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I don't think the town could handle a week log event." He corrects himself, "I don't think the town can handle a weekend long event either, but that's what I have planned. I'm actually still considering a costume and where to get one made. Plague doctor costumes are always a plus, but something regal with a domino mask may be more fitting for a master of ceremonies type, don't you think?" Pulling up towards the strip mall, this thoughtful look on his features, he briefly gives Lilith a curious look, "What do you want to be?"

"It can handle it for a weekend. You're in charge, it's your brainchild, it'll be fine." Lilith tells Byron with all the confidence in the world that's so inherent and off the cuff instead of just bolstering for the sake of bolstering. Her lips stay twitched up as she settles back in her seat after the tickling tease and tips her head toward the right side of the strip mall once they get close. Then she considers his question while reaching to flip down the visor so she can look at herself in the mirror and wipe some with her fingertips at the edges of her face to get some residual dirt smudges off, at least.

Then after a moment, she tells Byron, looking at herself in the mirror, "I used to play dress up a fair bit in Miami, but not ever really in the way I wanted it to be. Do you remember... oh, I don't know, some reading unit that came with these elaborate color sheets in seventh grade when we were learning about the Black Plague? They gave us color sheets with Venetian carnival masquerade costumes and I used to think if I could have a big, elaborate dress and mask like that, I could have a Cinderella moment. I could be everything and no one special at the same time. Then I'd feel like a princess."

Lilith clicks her tongue once with a dry dismissive wit coming afterwards, though it takes a turn toward the end for wistfulness with Byron bringing up plague doctors and masks, which does get a nod for the fitting masters of ceremony idea prior to all this spilling out of her, "Which is silly now, I happen to know from the History Channel that princesses are generally inbred cattle fodder for political marriages, but... if there's something that gives me an excuse? I want it."

Flipping the visor up, then, finished looking at herself, she looks at Byron with a slight smile, "You did kind of make me feel like a princess for the eighth grade dance, though. Definitely not the 'no one' part, though. Just the everything part."

Byron's been looking at Lilith this whole time and if there's an excess of mud on her face or grass in her hair, he would have pointed it out. If he had his suit jacket on, he might have given her a handkerchief to use, but he does carry some things around in his glove compartment, which now opens with just a push of the button. Inside, there's everything from his registration, of course, and some wet wipes and antibiotic gel. Just random things. "Thought you might want to use some of those. Not that you need to." Or not really, but it might help!

When Lilith begins to speak, he does remember that time surrounding the whole Black Plague ordeal. He enjoyed the Venetian aesthetics as well, perhaps that's why he chose to mimic that here in Gray Harbor. "You looked like a princess." He says with a grin, his eyes scanning the area for a parking space, which he luckily finds. The car begins to pull up into it. "We could get you any gown you liked. Probably." Though there were even some things that go far beyond even his budget. "I'm hoping that we're spared when it comes to rain. A little drizzle might not be too terrible. A heavy fog would be just what the plague doctor ordered. So I don't advise anything overly elaborate, HOWEVER, I do want this to be as authentic as possible. So something nice should work."

When she speaks ill of royalty and nobility, Byron laughs, "Fuck the History Channel. All they are showing now are documentaries on mermaids and aliens. I always knew you'd make the prettiest princess anyway."

"Mermaids don't have to wear bras, I could handle being a mermaid instead. But maybe it'd be easy enough to peacock a fancy enough ballgown and find a matching mask." Lilith says to Byron with her vaguely softened and wistful smile interrupted by a sudden laugh and then draw back of hand with offense at her chest, "Next you're going to start in on the Science Channel and I'll have to find a way to shush you before you say something hurtful." She pauses, "It's true, though." Dropping her hand, she reaches to draw one of his between both of her own to squeeze with up and down bounce against his leg.

"So. We're going to get food. You're either going to have your taste buds burned off and question whether or not I have any left or compliment them for being a refined piece of taste and work. Then we'll take it to eat, shower, then go get me a damn car. I think we narrowed it down last time and there's only so much the internet can tell me about what I want to sit in and put the gas to. Also..."

Lilith pauses, then looses one of her hands to unbuckle before leaning in to press a kiss against the side of Byron's face, "Thank you for coming just to hug me solid in the parking lot before bed last night. I wasn't hurt by the strange when it happened, but it... I wanted you because you're the absolute realest living thing I can possibly know. And nothing can bring me back from afraid or knocked sideways in my head like you can... when I let you."

"Did the History Channel crush my dreams about mermaid and how they never wore coconut or seashells for bras too?" Byron asks, all the while wearing that amused grin in on his lips. If his gaze dips down to her breasts at that moment, it's a fleeting thing, especially when she takes his hand into hers to toy with on his cargo pants covered lap. He's really slumming it today, but the brand and material probably isn't cheap. "You'll know where to look online, either for the various pieces or a gown as a whole. I'm sure you'll look fabulous in anything. Because, you can be anything you want to be, Lily." Those are the exact words a much younger Byron had said to her.

With his day now planned out for him by Lilith, he can't help but laugh a little about that, shaking his head. "We'll get you a real car. How about a mini-cooper?" He says teasingly, just as she leans in close as she unbuckles to press her lips at his bristled cheek. It's always nice being this close. Despite the rigorous activity and the sweat and the grass, just her very essence smelled nice. The smile he wears doesn't completely fade away, though it falters for a short moment, his own mind racing now. Then it's back, his head tilting towards her to press his forehead against hers, "You know that I would've always been there for you." He meant that in a past tense, but he refrains from stirring up the what could have been of their childhood. "Let's go and eat. Something tells me, and that something is you by the way, that I may live to regret this day."

You can be anything you want to be, Lily.

Lilith wishes she had listened to those words the first time he said it, she wishes it were easy to know and do and... be now. She knows what she wanted to be, what she turned into, what she is now, but she's not even sure now what that means for what she wants to be. Because definitions change the older you get, the more you realize that reliance on job titles and relationships with others to define you in whatever shade of light... they're only a piece of the puzzle, aren't they? Mostly, you have to know how to live with yourself and be your best self. And that is deceptively hard to find, sometimes, for variety reasons.

Sometimes, though, you live with yourself too much and don't know how to really live with others as a result, not in the right ways. That's what outside Gray Harbor was for her and it's hard to explain that to others when they're drawing out the parts of her that are more old and familiar to make accidental odds and conflict. So that sweet thing hurts as much as it bolsters, because she's not sure she actually believes it. Life does things. But she knows Byron believes it, just like he did before, and that's so damned poignantly bittersweet for her. How could she ever be so stupid?

Does it stop her from calling him a little stupid too? No, it doesn't. Because she doesn't really mean it, even if they both maybe feel it with twinge when the ribbing makes reminder. With her forehead tipped in against Byron's with the shifting lean of his tilted head and face, she nudges her nose against his while starting, "... you know. If there's any regret floating around this car after we're done, it's going to be me extremely sad you're even joking about getting me a mini-Cooper while I trust you with this expedition. Annnnd... that you're a dumbass for not pulling over."

After nudging her lips up to kiss at the tip of Byron's nose, Lilith and her sweet lotioned sweat pulls back to get out of the car to do the day as planned with no pullover stops. 'cause that'd be the real dumbass thing to do, right? And she doesn't get a fucking Mini-Cooper. Just to be clear.