fandomhighdorms | The Deck - Sunday Late Morning

Jake had been up early. Freakishly early and he'd taken the time to just run around the preserve, letting his wolf instinct take over to clear his mind. Whether it'd helped was another question as he was now lounging (shirtless) in one of the chairs on the deck with his bare feet propped up on the railing. He was toying with his mobile and finally started typing up a text.

Why did you let the leech come here?

It didn't take long and Jake guessed that Bella must have fallen out of bed.

Bella: Don't call them that. Who are you talking about?
Jake: The tiny one. Alice. Why's she here?
Bella: She isn't there. What are you talking about?

Huh. He stared at the lit up screen, trying to wrap his brain around it. His mobile beeped once more and he automatically pressed to read the next text.

Bella: Can we talk? I miss you.

He wished she wouldn't and he sent her a two letter reply before flipping his mobile off, aware that he was being a jerk. That he was breaking promises, but there was no point in talking. She'd made her choices.

... Now what the hell was that freakish scent that was hanging all around the grounds?

[Sorry, Toothless. Open deck is open. He'll welcome the distraction.]

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Jake made a face as she mentioned the damphir, even if he had some sort of truce with Rose. "Sorry," he said, once again failing on finding any kind of useful remark.

Dru noticed the face. That and remembering Jake's feelings on vampires was why she was hesitant about telling him the rest of the story. "Yeah, so am I. About a lot of things. You know that whole life gives you lemons make lemonade thing? I swear I'm going to start opening franchises."

He rolled his eyes. "That optimistic crap's a load of bull anyway."

"Which would be why you haven't seen any new stores called Dru's Sunshine Lemonade opening up around here," she drawled. "I prefer more primitive methods of dealing. Namely beating the crap out of the heavy bag, or running through bullets in the range."

"I don't think anyone can blame you," he said quietly.

"I wouldn't care if they did," Dru shrugged. "If they don't get it, fuck 'em."

He grinned a little and glanced over at her. "Now we're talking."

She snickered, aware she'd probably been enough of a downer for Jacob's day. "I figured you'd appreciate that. So now that I've told you some of my tale of woe, let me ask what's up in the world of Jacob? Anything exciting going on?"

"Not really," he shrugged. "Someone from home showed up, but that's about it."

"One of the newbies? You don't sound that excited about it," Dru observed.

"She isn't my friend," he said instantly, wanting that to be clear. "As it turns out, she might not be from home anyway."

Because one Cullen family wasn't enough. Noooo, the universe had to create multiple versions of them.

Thinking of what Jacob had told her of where he'd come from, her eyebrows shot up. "Don't tell me one of your vegetarian vampires turned up here?"

He grimaced and gave her a look that made it clear that she got it in one. "Isn't life fun?"

"Oh just a real barrel of laughs," Dru replied, already planning on how to hide weapons so they'd be available if she needed them. "Do you know why she's shown up?"

"Says she needed a change," he shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. We've got a deal to just keep away from each other."

"She couldn't have gone to New York or LA or some other place that's not here?" she mused. "Good that you've come to an agreement. Make sure you keep it. I wouldn't want to see you get bounced from this place."

Jake snorted. "No one needs to tell me twice to just avoid them," he said. "I'm more than happy to avoid the stench."

"Yeah, I can relate. Remember how I told you about I can tell if someone's from the Real World?" Dru asked. "It's a taste thing. And it's usually not the greatest."

He chuckled and shook his head. "Gross. I don't envy you there."

"Most of the time it's not too bad. Think wax oranges with a touch of salt," she explained. "The intensity of it varies with the level of the threat. Except for the sucker. He was foul." She couldn't help shuddering at the memory.

"Wax oranges," he frowned. "They don't smell like that. It's sickly sweet. So much that it burns the back of your throat."

He paused. "What do I taste like?" What? He was too frigging tired to hide much.

"Like half the other people I've met since I've been here," Dru shrugged. "Wax oranges with a faint tag of salt. Less now then when I first met you at the airport, I guess because I know you now and I'm not thinking of you as a potential threat."