2022-03-23 - It's Time To Sleep

It's been a busy couple of weeks since Dr. Brennon got back to town. Rumor has it that no sooner did she get her lab set up, that a 'gas leak' happened and exploded it, with her and one other inside. Both people were mostly okay. The damage to the clinic was mostly cosmetic outside of one of the rooms, but still, that's some bad luck. Assuming it was actually a gas leak.

Upon visiting Oak Avenue, one thing immediately stands out in the dreary time between the switch from Winter to Spring when everything is still cold and gross and can't make up its mind, weather wise. That would be the first three houses to one side, 1, 3, and 5 Oak Avenue. Their yards are like something out of a Disney Movie. Flowers bloom, sculpted gardens, delightful hedges and even white picket fencing. Is that... is that a deer? While outside of the yard there is rain and cold, the moment someone steps into Ava's yard, or the two others, the heat of summer eases that chill away in an instant.

It's a wonder how the Veil explains that away to those without the Shine.

Weather localization. It's a thing. Right?

We'll see anyway. He was coming up and is walking around the yard, checking out the house. Which COULD potentially freak the Doctor out if she notices someone walking past her windows or something. But he wants to make sure that nothing seems suspicious. Is it a cop thing to do? Absolutely. Don't you usually need permission first to go beyond the front yard? Also...absolutely. He doesn't seemed as concerned about that latter part at the moment. Of course if she comes outside and runs right into him, there may be a bit of surprise at him coming out of HER back yard to greet her at the front.

Sans her coming out the house, well then he'd have to knock on the door. Which is good because typically bad guys don't knock. It still doesn't explain if she saw said person in her yard WHY said person knocking at her door was back there. ANd of course, in either case, however she is when she sees him, there is Det. Deacon Fade with a big wide Orbitz gum, or insert teeth-whitening-product-here wide smile. "What's up, Doc?" Yup...that joke is about as old as offering him a donut...but he doesn't seem to mind making it with her.

Now is a really bad time to be sneaking past Ava's windows. This woman is wound so tightly at the moment that the wrong pluck will send her flying into next week. So, spotting someone at the windows and creeping around her yard, of course that's going to set her on high alert. Especially after certain Post It Note issues. Moving for the coat closet, the doctor pulls something out of it and starts to creep towards her door on silent feet, reaching for the doorknob.

Which is, of course, when she hears the knock. Ava strangles back a noise of surprise and pauses. Veil entities don't knock. Neither do burglars for that matter. The door is popped open a little, before Ava lets out a small, exasperated sigh. "Deacon." The door opens up more as her expression relaxes along with her grip on the bat in her free hand, letting the top of it fall against the floor. "What on earth are you doing sneaking around in my yard?"

He stands there for a moment as she opens the door the little, his head cocking to the side as she does before she opens it wider. "Knock knock," he adds, just for emphasis before she gives him that sigh and he hears the sound of the bat hidding the floor. "Huh..." he says with a chuckle. "You do know that I have a gun, right? I'm not sure the bat was going to help you all that much. Just saying. I do appreciate the gumption though. That shows real spunk, you know?" He winks and stands there still as she stands in the doorway. "To be fair, I wouldn't really call it sneaking. I was just making sure things looked proper. No signs that anyone had done anything they shouldn't have. No broken windows or screens loose. I'm happy to report things look normal," he adds, giving a sort of mock salute.

"So..." he says, looking around casually, having been on the doorstep for at least long enough for the conversation, for him to wait for her to answer, and then now a few more. "Want to invite me in?"

"I'll show you gumption," Ava grumbles as she pretends to close the door right in his face. But it opens right back up a second later. "What are you, a vampire? Come in." Ava moves to slip the bat back into the closet while Deacon steps in. "You know, the last person who tried using a gun around me ended up dropping it. Something about scalding metal, too hot to the touch. That was just before he took a fireball to the chest." Ava turns back towards Deacon, her arms behind her back, fingers lacing together in the picture of innocence as her cheeks dimple. It's a throw back to way back when, when she actually was cute and innocent. Unlike now. "I wonder how all that happened."

Behind her he can see familiar files spread out on the table. Why, those are police files. It's not strange that she'd have them, however, she often helps on cases. But the question is, which one is she helping on?

With her hands behind her back, one of his own tenderly slips down to hers as he smiles, stepping in behind her and looking about at the decor. "By the way, dinner should be delivered soon. I hope you like chinese." Yes, he ordered dinner. Why? Because apparently he didn't plan for this to be a short visit. His touch is warm, the weather outside having removed any chill that might have existed from the time over here. He smiles a bit more broadly, he having picked a decent mix of things. More than the two of them are going to eat tonight, that is for sure. But, as a detective, he is used to eating cold leftovers especially when working on a case.

"My docket is pretty clear lately. What are you working on?" He doesn't pick up the files, but he does move a few pictures just slightly to see the papers that may be beneath, before he moves them back. Of course, even as he asks and says that, the doorbell rings. The delivery driver. "It's alright. It's already paid for so if you answer the door you won't have to tip," he teases the doc as if she couldn't afford to tip a driver, squeezing her hand once more before allowing her to get the door.

"What?" Well that startled her right out of the fake display of innocence. Ava blinks for a moment, the touch and the words seem to have thrown her for a quick loop. "Wait, what? Did someone tell you to come check up on me? Because I swear I'm fine. Why doesn't anyone seem to believe me?" Never mind the being in an explosion, barely sleeping, and overloading herself with work so she doesn't have to think, thing. That everyone at work has started to notice.

Police files. The perfect distraction! "Oh, yeah. It's the multiple missing persons from last week. The one where all that was left behind was a single shoe. I actually had someone stop by, and he helped me figure out that it was--" the doorbell rings. Deacon gets another exasperated look before he squeezes her hand and she's moving towards the door to grab the food. There's some chatter with the delivery man, mild laughter, and 'haha, yeah, microenvironment experiment, haha." The door closes.

"It was a Nightshade Bear. It's trapped on this side of the Veil somehow. It's eating people."

As she asks about checking on her, he just shakes his head. "I mean, maybe I am but not because someone told me to." He relaxes, his smile widening a bit at the sound of the doorbell and as she mentions the missing persons files he nods. "I haven't been flagged on that case yet, but obviously am keeping an eye out. If that one gets assigned to me then..." and so he relaxes, letting out a little deep breath as she goes to get the food and he leans against the desk. "I'm sure though. I mean the things going on, the little microenvironmental experiment and other types of curious...experiments...the stress of work that you already had not counting your place getting exploded..." Yes, he goes with 'getting exploded' instead of something more..mature? Who knows what the right way to phrase it should have been but he enjoys the slight younger tone there.

In the food is fried rice, mongolian beef, kung pao shrimp (spicy), orange chicken, and some fried potstickers. It's a good mix of things. And indeed, enough food for 4 people, without even blinking. "By the way, you hadn't eaten already had you?"

"Ah, I'm afraid we probably aren't going to find many remains. We might? And if we're lucky, we'll be able to make it look like a normal bear attack of some sort. But this won't be something the normal cops are going to be able to wrap up in a neat bow, I'm afraid." Ava says this as she brings over the bags, handing him half to help her unload. This means she has to clear the files up a little bit first. They get tidied and put to the side.

"We're going to do a recon mission first to see what kind of information we can get on this creature, and get the lay of the land where it's all set up. Then we're going to try to corral it back into the Veil where it should be in the first place. Assigned to the case or not, we could probably use your eyes for the first leg of this, if you're up for it. At least."

She snorts. "Ah yes. Getting exploded. That sounds about right. So you figured out it wasn't a gas leak, then?" She pulls out some of the orange chicken and stares at it for a moment. "Eaten? I haven't eaten since-" the words trail off before those strange, multicolored eyes flicker back up to him, "I haven't eaten today, yet. I guess I got distracted."

Deacon nods his head as she explains and seeing that it's the eating table where the files are at, he also sets about to help straighten though doesn't mess with the Doc's system, whatever that may be, for taking care of the files as she puts them in the right place. "I can try. Maybe take a look and see if there's any sense of it or what it may have been thinking at the time. Maybe there's a trigger for it. That's always helpful - if you can figure out the why, then you can eitehr try to set up ways to stop it or at least know how to lure it out as you suggested to corral it back home. I'll help however is needed," he says sincerely.

He looks to see if there is any white wine in the fridge to go with the food, the white probably a better choice with the dishes he got between the spicy and the citrus. It'll work well enough with the beef too as he gets out a couple of glasses of water if there's not any wine chilled. "Uh huh. You do realize that as a doctor, you should be noticing the signs right? I wno't point it out because as an officer, I hate when they're pointed out to us after a stressful situation. But yeah, you may want to look at taking...a day. Not working or something. Go into town, get something to eat, sit and drink some tea and watch the weather change or the boats out on the lake. Whatever works for you. Some yoga even," he winks. "But you need just a little time to put this all aside and take a breath before diving back in. Or so I've heard...from doctors."

"I'm worried about how it got here in the first place. If it just got loose on its own, that's one thing. But if someone set it loose, that's a completely new set of issues and it means it could happen again with any range of other creatures." Ava chews on the inside of her cheek for a moment at the thought. "That would be a far bigger problem than just one loose Nightshade Bear." Her head lifts as she continues to pull out containers and open them for the apparent feast. "Glad to have you aboard. I'll let Conner know we've got you on the team! Just be careful with your electronics around him. His electrokinesis has been going a little haywire. Forewarned is forearmed, and all that."

There's white wine in the fridge, and glass in the cabinet. Even though the house is new, and set up differently than her usual apartment that she typically lives in, she still keeps the same, basic arrangement style. So it's not hard to sort out where she still keeps her stuff. There's a defiant look on her face as Deacon starts talking about warning signs. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Deac. I'm fine. Besides, who has time to drink tea and watch weather change these days?" she chuckles. There's a smirk for that wink, an accusing finger pointed in his direction. "You just want to see me in yoga pants."

Deacon nods and looks at his smart-watch. "Gotcha," he says, making a mental note to leave THAT at home next time. Still, he gets out the wine and pours a couple of glasses after setting them down on the table. That's easy enough. He sets the bottle between them and he moves to pull out Ava's chair, a playful grin on his featureas s she winks and tries to stick up for herself. He was smart enough to bring plates and the bag already has silverware - both forks and chopsticks as well as plenty of soy sauce for a small village. "Well..." he says, waiting for Ava to sit before sliding the chair in. "You're part right," he explains before leaning down to whisper to her. "In yoga pants is good, but out of them..." he says, lingering there as he says that before sliding away then to his seat.

Settling down as if he had just said nothing at all teasing or flirty, he starts to serve up a little bit of everything, though each bit gets its own spot on his plate as he looks over. "Oh yeah, I'm sure. Totally unaffected. You are probably doing your absolute best work and shouldn't at all make time to allow the mind and spirit to heal before diving back in. I mean that's just...preposterous to even imagine. I get it." See...the problem is he says all that, and while the words he say may sound supportive it is very clear that his tone has a whole other take on the situation.

"Flirt," Ava accuses with a brief laugh as he pulls her chair for her and then leans in to whisper. She pats his cheek lightly, her smile actually dimpling. It's her first genuine smile for the day and it feels like her face might actually crack. "Thanks," she murmurs, taking a second to lean the side of her head against his. "I needed that." A deep breath is taken in before she finally settles into the chair itself and helps tuck it under the table.

"I know what you're doing. But I also know that I have lots of work to do, and things that need to get done. When I try to take time off, Dreams reach out to get me anyway. The last one could have been kind of cool, I was an elf. But then people wanted to eat me for dinner, and my friends were in danger. I was up at three am this morning healing a teenage girl who dealt with her first Dream, which turned out to be a horrible Nightmare that left some sort of weird residue on her soul. And it's on two of my other friend's as well. So, I can't let them go to sleep tonight until I make sure they've been healed. But I can only heal one person a day. So even though I have been up since three, I can't go to bed until after midnight to make sure that at least one of them is healed." All of that is pointed out as she watches him settle into his seat, her smile a little sad.

"I just, guess, I don't feel like I should be taking time off right now. I've been out of town for over a year. I have a lot of catching up to do. Even if it's stressing me out."

As she touches his cheek and leans in, he smiles as he leans against her gently before finishing with the chair and settling down. "I get it," he says. "That's all very reasonable." He takes a bite as he looks over. "I mean it's total bullshit but it is reasonable," he says sincerely as he looks to her. "And you know it is. Because you're smart enough as a doctor to know that you would tell any of your patients that they need to let themselves recover before pushing too hard, otherwise they'll either A) injure themselves or B) be of no use to anyone anyway because they'll be too fried. So while you use all of the typical patient excuses, which are all reasonable and valid, you know that in the face of science and what both the mind and body need that you're not giving it. One day is not going to kill anyone. Besides, while the healing bit is correct, you could sleep now while i sit here and keep an eye on you, right after you eat. I can wake you up at midnight so you can take care of what you have to, and then you can go back to sleep. If people need you they can contact you, though my guess is your friends will be glad to see you take care of yourself so you can better take care of them."

He takes another bite, before taking a sip of wine. "Of course, it's also possible that I only heard stuff like this on a rerun of ER so it could be complete nonsense."

Ava gives an approving nod when he says that it's reasonable, but her expression darkens a moment later when he calls her on the total bullshit part of it. How dare he point that out in exactly the same way that she would if it were anyone else besides herself? Doesn't he understand how unacceptable that is? "You did not come over here, all this way, just to watch me take a nap," she points out with the chopsticks she has in hand before taking another bite of orange chicken. Once the bite is finished, she smirks. "I am not that terrible a hostess, you know. I've come a long way since I was younger. Not like when I got my first apartment at eighteen. That was a disaster. Do you remember? When I thought beanbag chairs were actual furniture." She groans.

Maybe she's trying to change the subject. "Reruns of ER are terrible for you, you know. Scrubs. Now there's a show I can get behind. That one makes me laugh. Rarely ever so depressing."

He cants his head a moment. "You don't think I came over to see you in bed?" He says it so innocently but there's a playful grin on his features and he looks to Ava. "That is actually exactly why I came over is to make sure you get some sleep. I'm sure you're running on fumes even if you don't notice it yet. And when the fumes run out what will you run on? Besides...letting yourself get to THAT point is exactly what 'They' would want. Do you really need to make it THAT easy for them?" All this That and they and that...but there is an obvious emphasis as he puts his elbow on the table, chin in his palm a moment. He clearly has something he's about to say but pauses on that. "Yes I remember. I tried to convince you that bean bag chairs were the way to go but someone doesn't like to listen to her elders."

He lets himself sit back a bit, folding his arms then as she says Scrubs over ER. "It depends on the mood. Noah Wyle, and of course, Anthony Edwards a-la Goose. It was good to see him get such a meaty role." He takes another bite of his food, casually adding, "I mean, if what you're saying is you don't want me to put you to bed it's alright. I can handle rejection."

Those chopsticks poke at her plate as Ava narrows her eyes at Deacon. "You know I could light you on fire right right now. It'd be soooo easy." There's no malice in her tone, just a hint of playfulness and a lot of tired. There's a glance to the food, to the wine, and then back to his charming grin. "Scoundrel! Plying me with food and alcohol to get me into bed. To try to make me sleep! I see what it's come down to. Who else is in on this with you, huh? Monsters, the lot of you." Even as she says that, she's reaching for her glass to take a sip of the wine, because well, wine.

"Elders? You have eight years on me. Might have been a big deal back then, but these days? That's nothing." There's a harrumph before another bite is taken. "Are you really playing the Them angle?" Eyes narrow again. Because it is effective. He has a very valid point. She could very well be doing exactly what they want her to do. "I wouldn't even know what to do with myself on a day off. So." Oh, sounds like he's breaking through.

"Hey, do my job long enough you learn a thing or two about getting women into bed even if they don't want to," he says with a smirk but no, it doesn't have nearly the rapey tone it could have! "Though yes, you will end up in bed, and you will get some sleep. I'm conceding the fact it will be interrupted so you can get up and take care of your patients at midnight. And then I'll wake you again in the morning. As for what you do on a day off? That's easy. You buy me breakfast," says Deacon as he leans back in his chair again, looking across to Ava as he casually refills her wine glass before pouring a bit more into his own. As he leans back she can see he did have his sidearm on, it settled at his waist under the jacket he is wearing, that is unzipped.

"Besides I want to go furniture shopping and you have a far better sense of style. I also maybe need a couple of new shirts so you can buy me breakfast, then go shopping with me. I'll treat lunch, and then we can come back for dinner and for me to tuck you in again. Then, at Midnight the NEXT day, you're allowed to start torturing yourself again but I am serious. You need to take care of yourself before you DO accidentally light me on fire cause things start messing with your head and you're too fried to fight back."

"Woooow. That did not come out as well as I think you meant for it too." Ava still chuckles though, her eyes closing for a moment. "But I know what you mean. At least it didn't come out as badly as it could have." It takes a couple of seconds too long for her lashes to lift again after her eyes were closed. A sure sign that she's in need of sleep but has been clearly fighting it for a while. Probably with caffeine and sheer stubbornness. "That sounds like a very busy day off," she smirks. "Quite errandy." There's amusement there as she swirls her glass after it's been refilled, bringing it up to sip from again.

"I'm not going to accidentally light anyone on fire. I haven't done that since I was a teenager still learning how to control the flames," she scoffs. "Accidentally summoning things from the Veil because I draw too much attention to myself? That seems to be what I've been doing a lot of." Sounds like that might have been what happened to the clinic. It would explain how it exploded, after all. "That doesn't sound like a terrible plan, though. But when, exactly, do you plan to sleep?"

He winks. "I know," he says with that bit of amusement still, simply enjoying settling back now. "And it is not errandy," as Deacon takes another sip of wine. "It's about getting to explore and enjoy downtown without you having to worry about patients or respnosibilities. Plus maybe we'll take you to get an outfit too. Lord knows it wouldn't kill you to go shopping,' he says with such deliberate mischief in his tone it is clearly on purpose that he lights that little conversational fire, wink as he pokes at her verbally. "As for me? I'll sleep when I see you're aslepep. A bit at least. I'll set an alarm to wake up so that I can wake you up and let you get to your things." And as he takes another sip of wine he reaches over and starts to put the lids on the chinese food containers. They're at best half gone (the mongolian beef is a favorite of his so may have been dipped into more) but there are still plenty of items left to allow for more meals in the next day or two. He hops up and takes them over to the fridge, before coming back to sit again. He isn't too far or gone too long. "Do you still snore?" Not that she ever did...but if he's gonna playfully poke and pick fights, he may as well pick fun ones.

He winks. "I know," he says with that bit of amusement still, simply enjoying settling back now. "And it is not errandy," as Deacon takes another sip of wine. "It's about getting to explore and enjoy downtown without you having to worry about patients or respnosibilities. Plus maybe we'll take you to get an outfit too. Lord knows it wouldn't kill you to go shopping,' he says with such deliberate mischief in his tone it is clearly on purpose that he lights that little conversational fire, wink as he pokes at her verbally. "As for me? I'll sleep when I see you're aslepep. A bit at least. I'll set an alarm to wake up so that I can wake you up and let you get to your things." And as he takes another sip of wine he reaches over and starts to put the lids on the chinese food containers. They're at best half gone (the mongolian beef is a favorite of his so may have been dipped into more) but there are still plenty of items left to allow for more meals in the next day or two. He hops up and takes them over to the fridge, before coming back to sit again. He isn't too far or gone too long. "Do you still snore?" Not that she ever did...but if he's gonna playfully poke and pick fights, he may as well pick fun ones.

"Like it ever takes much to get me to buy an outfit. But you know I special order my..." Ava's glass is lowered, her expression dry as she stares across the table. Ooooh, if looks could kill, he really would be on fire right now. "Yes, me and shopping are such terrible bedfellows. We never get along," she offers blandly, in her designer boots and button down dress she certainly didn't get here in town. "You know if you sleep, when I sleep, then you aren't watching me sleep, which means that we may still get pulled into a Dream. I will not be held responsible if our day off is ruined by that fact." A little finger waggles. "What I wouldn't give for a Dream to be a nice one. Just me on a tropical island, relaxing in the sand. Maybe as a mermaid or something. Nothing trying to kill me. Just chilling, enjoying life. Not likely to happen, but it'd be nice."

She's pulled out of her reverie and huffs, picking up a plastic spoon from the cutlery they were given and throwing it across the table. "I have never snored, thank you! Not even back then!"

"I know." Deacon grins and gives her a look over once, noting the outfit with the fancy boots and the button up dress with the long necklace. "See, absolutely terrible. I think you've worn that twice this year. Isn't that a fashion no-no? Ugh, the conditions you have to live in. How you even..." Yup, sarcasm, they name is Deacon. He gets up though and grabs his glass, and gestures to something more comfortable than the chairs now since they're done eating. "Don't worry about the Dream. I got it," is all he says. Truth be told? He's not going to sleep. Oh he'll set the alarms, but he has no plan to sleep. He's just not going to tell HER that because THEN it would turn into a 'thing' and he would lose all the ground he's gained on getting her to hopefully rest this evening. "Have you tried going to bed in a bikini? It might work...I'm not saying it will but for scientific purposes...if you want to dream about being on an island then perhaps you ought to dress the part."

Yeah. There's probably a dozen comments a spoon could have been thrown at him for. Heck, there wree at least two in the last 60 seconds. But still, as it is tossed at him, he lets out a 'grunt' and falls down into the sofa with an 'unnnnnnngh' as he has been mortally wounded. "I'm sure you're right. It was probably a different Ava they said snored when they slept over." Oh yeah, he's totally being a butthead now, grinning as he takes another sip of his wine before she comes over and can see the look on his face.

"Way more than twice. Just because I own designer clothes doesn't mean I can afford to only wear them once. Oh, could you imagine, though? That would be living the dream. But for that, I'd have to live in New York. There's not exactly any big name shops around here, after all." The chair scoots back, Ava standing and grabbing her own glass to follow after him towards the couch. He's smart not to tell her. It would absolutely be a thing and then she'd never sleep. "Have you ever tried going to sleep in a bikini?" she counters with an arched brow. "How about you give it a shot first and tell me how that works out for you. Then perhaps if it does, I'll give it a shot."

Her drift downward onto the couch is far more delicate, settling next to him with amusement still etched across her features. "It must have been a different Ava. Maybe an Eva. It certainly wasn't me. I am a silent angel. Perfect sleeper!"

"So...it was shortly after graduating the academy. We'd gone down to Mexico to get to enjoy some time before starting patrol. Also, there was a crazy deal on an all inclusive resort so the idea of free booze for a weekend, the swimming...it was going to be a good trip." It's possible he may have left out some other possible advantages of going to the resort. "I didn't want to wear my swim trunks to the boat we were going out on cause we had a few things to do first. Breakfast, going to the store, grabbing some supplies for the day. So I packed a small bag and somehow had forgotten to put my swim trunks in there. So I'm talking to the Captain and I'm like 'Dude, I'll buy them from someone. Someone has to have a pair of swim trunks on the boat.'"

His arm goes gently about Ava's shoulder as she settles down and he pulls her in a little closer, letting her feel his warmth and hopefully use some of that warmth to help her be comfortable and relaxed and, well, tired as the conversation goes on. "So he says that they have a lost and found but they can't actually sell any of their clothes because they're provided by the boat company. Nice of the company...but lousy news for me." He takes a breath before picking up. "So I'm digging through lost and found but the majority of items in tehre are bikini tops. Go figure. However, lip gloss was a close second. Anyway, the only bottoms I can find are bikini bottoms. So now I have a choice...wear the bikini bottoms or swim in my not-swim trunks but just regular shorts all day."

Ava settles under his arm like she's done it a bunch of times before. There've been plenty of parties and events where they've ended up talking like this for hours, before, so it's not terribly unusual. Never before has it been used to try to put her to sleep, however. Such a dastardly tactic. With the wine and the food, now the warmth and the story, however, there's a solid chance that the plan is going to work. "No good story starts out with you in Mexico," she chuckles, having another sip of her wine.

Her head leans against his shoulder and moves to the side so that she can study his profile, trying to remember him all those years back in a far more youthful year. "I'm going to need some assurances that there's picture proof of this happening. Also, I'm going to need one of these pictures. For reasons. Probably future bribery of some sorts. Also, my amusement." Earnest laughter is flowing out of her now, and he can feel her shoulders finally starting to ease and relax as tension falls out of her. She's been carrying it for weeks. "What color was it?"

He lets her nestle in, staying close as he tells the story, not in a rush. He just gets as far as it has so far, right up to the part about having the choice. He has this shit-eating grin on his features as he turns to look to Ava. His head is close to her own and he smiles, leaning forward so that the tip of his nose might brush hers. HE knows how close they are, and how easily this particular position could turn into something else but he doesn't have that as his intent. Instead, his free hand comes up to gently cup her chin to tilt her head up to meet his gaze.

"If you want to know the answer to that...you'll go get ready for bed and do what I said. And when we're at breakfast tomorrow I will tell you. I'll even tell you what style." He raises both eyebrows quickly, before letting them fall down, the universal symbol for the fact he has the juicy information and just isn't going to share it yet.

"Oooh, you let me get all kinds of cozy, and then you're making me get up again. Foul play." Her voice is almost too soft to hear as she gazes at Deacon, the tiredness shining on her face. She's very aware of the positioning if the flush on her cheeks is any indication. "Plus you're taking advantage of that crush I had on you when I was younger. You're still just a mean, mean boy," she whispers.

But it works and her face lifts out of his grip, body drifting away from his and very slowly off the couch. It's taking a little more effort than usual thanks to the sleep-inducing combo that's working it's wonders on her already. Chances are if she laid in bed right now and closed her eyes, she'd be out in five minutes flat. It's getting her to lay down and close her eyes that's the hard part. "I'll be back in a moment." Ava hands him her glass before drifting off to the bedroom upstairs to get changed.

It's another few minutes later before her voice calls down. "Do you just want to come up here, I don't want to go all the way back downstairs. Unless you're planning on carrying me back up the stairs when I fall asleep?"

"I did," he offers. "I'm a mean, mean man." He looks to the glasses and he, well, he is far too much a fan of the environment to let wine, which was made from grapes harvested in nature, go to waste. And so he finishes his before finishing Ava's, picking up and walking both glasses over to the sink. He can wash them in the morning. He also makes sure there is nothing on the table that's going to get yucky or sticky and need extra cleaning in the morning. He even lets out a little yawn, because, wine, and he walks around, looking at pictures and other things. He also walks to the doors and windows, making sure they are all locked before he hears himself called.

"Hmmmmmm?" He says it a bit extra loudly, so that she can hear before he calls back, "Sure." He didn't bring a change of clothes but it's alright. He can take off his shoes and lay next to her. It's not like he's actually going to go to sleep. That would be most unlikely. No, he walks up the stairs to her room and smiles, "Not that I couldn't. You don't weight that much. I think those boots weigh more than you,' he adds with that bit of teasing before he walks over to her bed to pull the blankets back, assuming she's not already in it. "Did you brush your teeth? Let me smell your breath," he teases, as if he's a parent now. He did say he's her elder earlier. It was bound to come back to bite her.

Normally Ava would be in a nightgown, but this seemed like an inappropriate time to be wearing a silk nightgown. Might give off the wrong vibes at the moment. So the rare pare of normal PJs it is. Who knew she had a couple sets of those? Her hair is in a loose bun and she's waiting for him next to the bed. "You are so not going to be smelling my breath," she assures him before he takes a pillow to the face. Then she's slipping into the bed and cozying herself into it. "Are you going to be getting into the bed, or sitting in a chair all night? Because one is more comfortable than the other, but also, the gun will have to stay on the nightstand if you're getting in." Seems a reasonable enough request.

He does take the gun off and sets it on the nightstand beside him. He settles down on the edge of the bed, removing his jacket and folding it gently before laying it over the nightstand or in a chair in the room somewhere. He takes off his shoes, setting them aside, and then he slides into the bed, for now staying on top of the covers but if he gets cold later he will slide in. He scoots close so that Ava can lean against him some more. He does set his keys and wallet aside as well, though his phone is kept in his pants pocket on the far side, away from her. That way he can use that later once she has drifted off. "Now..." he says, "Do you need me to sing you that song from Big Bang Theory? Soft kitty, warm kitty..." he doesn't go any further, just having fun with getting the first few lines of the song out. He looks over and says, "You'll be fine. I promise to wake you right. On. Time."

Ava takes a deep breath. She's still not so sure that she should be going to bed before doing the healing, but having been plied with wine and food and coziness, there's hardly any use fighting it now. "Hah! I think I'd rather save my ear drums thank you very much. I tend to need those in my work," is teased. Those long lashes have already started to droop as Ava curls under the blankets, but alongside Deacon to steal the extra warmth. "It's been a long time since I've snuggled something other than a pillow," she admits softly. "I don't snore, but I might drool on you a little bit." There's a cheeky little smile at that.

"I'm trusting you to wake me up. Please don't let me down." Those words are already starting to grow quiet, starting to drift. A steady heartbeat near her ear, and extra warmth in the bed on top of everything else? Just the comfort needed to knock her out almost immediately.

As she leans in and heads to sleeptown, he smiles quietly. A hand moves to brush through her hair, fixing it back, letting her stay in close. "I won't," he promises. She doesn't know he also has his small aar buds in his pocket. He can watch a movie or sports, plenty of things to do to stay awake. Even if he does decide to sleep after the healing, staying awake until midnight is nothing. It also helps that he's on his day off, leading into tomorrow. That will also make it easier to stay up tonight, knowing that tomorrow after tey spend the say and he distracts her, that he can go home and sleep himself and catch up before work.

HE does cheat a little bit, using his particular skill to help her feel at peace, at ease with her decision to sleep. It's not anything overtly strong or intense (at least it's not meant to be), but if anything the opposite, meant to help take away the edge and nervousness she may have so that she can actually dip into a deep sleep.

As she leans in and heads to sleeptown, he smiles quietly. A hand moves to brush through her hair, fixing it back, letting her stay in close. "I won't," he promises. She doesn't know he also has his small aar buds in his pocket. He can watch a movie or sports, plenty of things to do to stay awake. Even if he does decide to sleep after the healing, staying awake until midnight is nothing. It also helps that he's on his day off, leading into tomorrow. That will also make it easier to stay up tonight, knowing that tomorrow after tey spend the say and he distracts her, that he can go home and sleep himself and catch up before work.

HE does cheat a little bit, using his particular skill to help her feel at peace, at ease with her decision to sleep. It's not anything overtly strong or intense (at least it's not meant to be), but if anything the opposite, meant to help take away the edge and nervousness she may have so that she can actually dip into a deep sleep.