A Pink Corner House, Bristol, Friday Morning

[chosehumanity]

The portal dropped them off early Friday morning; Mitchell was never going to get around how strangely time acted when it came to moving between Bristol and Fandom, but at least there seemed to be some kind of method to the madness.

Maybe he'd take it up with Portalocity at some point.

The portal dropped them off in a nearby alley, two streets away from the house. The sun was just starting to peek its head 'round, casting a smattering of early, golden rays on the mostly empty streets. Mitchell set a brisk pace, and soon enough was rounding the corner into his street. "Almost there," he said, nodding towards the pink house at the end.

[[ for she who be there ]]

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[vanillajello]

Kate was busying herself with looking around and taking in her new surroundings as she walked alongside him, but that didn't stop her from following his line of sight and--

"That? That's your house?"

... Way to be a polite guest, sounding that amused, Kate.

[chosehumanity]

"What?" Mitchell asked, half-amused, half-offended. "I think it's cosy."

[vanillajello]

"Oh, I'm sure it is," Kate replied, shooting a smirk his way. "It's also pink. That's so cute."

[chosehumanity]

"Don't hold your breath for any sequins," he retorted, crossing the last dozen feet or so down to the entrance of the house-- where he proceeded to spend an awful lot of time digging around his pockets for the keys.

[vanillajello]

"And here I was hoping you hadn't told me you actually shared your house with a bunch of drag queens or something. I'm so disappointed," she said idly, looking down the street. If she'd let herself think too much about where she was and how she'd gotten there, she would give herself a headache.

She'd try to avoid that.

Turning towards him again was the first step. "Are you going to actually find your keys any time soon?"

[chosehumanity]

"Hold on, I've got them right--"

"ANNIE!"

And that would be an open door. "Hi," said the dark-skinned girl who beamed at Kate, "I heard you were coming by for some tea or coffee!" She sounded far, far too upbeat.

"I told you not to do that," George whined behind her. "You're a ghost, why are you hollering down the street? You should be inside!"

Mitchell sighed.

[vanillajello]

Kate raised an amused eyebrow at Mitchell before grinning back at Annie.

"Hi, yeah, I was told I could get either of those here. 'Though I'm really more a fan of coffee," she said, trying not to start babbling. Wow, where did that bit of being nervous come from?

She peered past the other girl a bit for a, "And hello to you too, George."

[chosehumanity]

"Oh, that's good, I've got plenty," Annie chirped back at her. She was also definitely approaching 'babbling'. "Would you like it with sugar, or with milk...? I think we've got some honey around the back, I could get it--"

"That's mine," George protested, "You're not using more of my things for your insane-- cooking obsession!"

Mitchell rubbed his forehead. "Guys," he tried.

[vanillajello]

"Actually, I like my coffee black," Kate said, ignoring both the guys. "It's just like, so much easier, you know? Don't really have to think about anything when you're getting it in the morning and stuff."

[chosehumanity]

"Oh, I used to be like that in sixth form," Annie said, laughing. "I could never be arsed to get out of bed in the morning, I thought I'd move the coffee machine to my nightstand!"

A beat.

"Well, what are you standing out there for?"

"Oh, yes," George snapped, "Now we remember about the neighbours!"

"Oh, shut up, you're the one who's yelling your top off," Annie said, with a roll of her eyes, and bustled back inside.

Mitchell, whose eyebrows had climbed all the way up into his hairline, made a vague sort of gesture at the house. Might as well enter, yeah?

[vanillajello]

Might as well.

So Kate did, after another one of those small smirks at him. With Monkey – the small, stuffed monkey-shaped backpack attached to the bigger bag over her shoulder – swinging cheerfully as she turned to go in.

[chosehumanity]

Mitchell exhaled loudly, shook his head, and pushed inside. "Take a seat?"

George and Annie had cleared out and taken their argument to the kitchen, but that was unlikely to last long.

[vanillajello]

Kate padded over to the couch and plopped herself down on it, setting her bag down by her feet and letting her gaze sweep across the room.

"So. They always like that?"

[chosehumanity]

"Bickering like twelve year olds?" Mitchell asked, rubbing at his hair as he eyed the living room. "Yeah. Especially this close to a full moon." The rear end of a full moon, luckily, which meant it would wane.

"Listen, you just... make yourself comfortable."

[vanillajello]

Kate leaned back in her seat. "I'm comfortable. Don't I look comfortable?"

Well, okay, maybe not. Unfamiliar place, not to mention all the other stuff. It would take a moment to get used to.

[chosehumanity]

"We've got a telly, if you want."

In Mitchell's book, TV could solve a lot.

Provided they didn't move The Real Hustle around on the schedule.

[vanillajello]

"Is there anything comfortingly and oh so mindnumbingly American on?" she asked, smirking a bit as she leaned forward again to shrug her leather jacket off.

[chosehumanity]

"I can't keep taking you to Disneyland," Mitchell pointed out, solemnly. "Remote's to your left. I'm going to go make sure they don't kill each other."

He looked faintly terrified for a moment before he barged into the kitchen.

[vanillajello]

Kate snickered and shook her head, setting the jacket down and reaching for the remote.

A moment of channel surfing – which was entertaining in itself – she settled on what was clearly a soap. Those were the same, wherever you went. They just had cooler accents here.

[chosehumanity]

"Hi," Annie chirped, eventually, bringing a tray with cups into the living room. Mitchell and George were still talking quietly in the doorway. "So, you're a student up at Mitchell's school, right? I've heard stories, but I've never been! I was stuck to the house for a bit, and now it's all-- You can see me!"

[vanillajello]

"Yeah, a proud Fandom High student, that's me," Kate replied, nodding with the kind of smile that didn't quite cover up being nervous.

"So... It's a pretty new thing, being seen, huh? That has to be pretty exciting for you."

[chosehumanity]

"Oh, it's totally exciting. Just yesterday," she started, "I was taking out the trash outside, and a guy drove past me and shouted 'slag'!"

The smile got bigger. She sounded incredibly excited.

[vanillajello]

"... Okay, I'm not just being a dumb American if I think 'slag' isn't something you'd normally wanna hear?" Kate had to check. Regardless, she still understood, or could imagine why that would be a positive experience.

She'd thought about things like this a bit, lately. No reason.

[chosehumanity]

"Well, it's an insult," Annie said, shrugging and getting maybe a little defensive. "But that's hardly the point, is it?"

Mitchell headed back into the living room, holding a cup of tea of his own and smiling. "Did he really call you a slag?"

"Really!"

[vanillajello]

"Yeah, no, I get the point. Just checking," Kate said, taking care to stay on her best polite and friendly behavior. She reached for a cup. "So I don't accidentally get myself into too much trouble."

[chosehumanity]

Mitchell grinned at her. He was dangerously close to letting himself slip into considering the whole scene some kind of family thing, so... don't mind the fact he seemed pleased.

"Don't go around calling anyone a slag," he advised.

"Except me," Annie said, wiggling happily. Then she paused. "...within reason."

[vanillajello]

Kate chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I can come up with nicer things to say to acknowledge that I can see you." Beat. "And far more colorful things to insult people with."

[chosehumanity]

"She can," Mitchell said, seriously, "She really, really can."

Annie ignored him. "So what d'they teach you at the school?" she asked, excitably. "It's not like maths and stuff all the time, is it? I always hated maths, couldn't get my head on it."

[vanillajello]

Kate shot Mitchell a look of 'I knew you were going to say that' before replying.

"It's... not really a normal school. Even when it comes to what they teach. I mean, I'm taking Japanese etiquette and tradition, and a class on love and romance in Hollywood movies, right now. And Mitchell's class, obviously," she said, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "I'm pretty sure there was some sort of math class last term, but... Yeah, not really that kind of school."