TRANSIT! (Undie Historic on the Stygia Road) - [2/5-2/11]

Jude watched as everyone went their own ways back at the Plaza and then turned her attention back to Cass. She made a slightly amused faced at the Sin Eater. Tucking her hair behind her ear she shrugged, "I actually love froyo....well, I mostly love the toppings, but the yogurt is also really good too." she replied happily.

The life mage stood on her toes and kissed Cassidy's cheek, "You're so cute when you're nervous." she teased. "Also no, food trucks are out." her voice got a little more serious as she said that.

Jude wrinkled her nose and giggled, "That's right, you guys called dibs." She walked hand in hand with Cassidy down the street, not really minding the quiet between them. It was comfortable, and she felt relaxed despite the mission they just pulled off. Somewhere in the back of her mind she was worried that it would come to bite them in the ass. Not to mention what she had gotten at that store...she was usually so good about not buying things from shady places. Now she had a locket that she couldn't open and a lucky cat. Granted she only traded it for snack cakes, and not something potentially dangerous like magical information, but it was still risky. She should have asked what the necklace was! Or at least why Mr. Ox had given it to her. She was so bad at this.

The Couple entered the froyo place that was open surprisingly late. 24 hour frozen yogurt, sure why not? "So, how did you manage to join the group? Or rather, how did the group start? Have you been working together long?" she really was curious about it.

Cass walked up to the counter and had a quick round of banter with the man behind the counter. The man's name was James, but this was not important. What was important was the Fro Yo. Cass ordered his usual, which was Maple Walnut with a crispy Bacon garnish. He encouraged Jude to get whatever her heart desired. As they made their way to a table he heard the unmistakable sound of the mission impossible theme song. Even if it was just slightly off key. Cassidy knew at once that Crux had decided to tag along. He didn't mind. It was probably a combination of her being boarded, and maybe caring just a bit. Either way he paid her no mind and allowed her to think she had gone unnoticed. 

Jude had asked a question, and Cassidy hadn't ignored it. More like, politely put it off until they were sitting. It was a long story. He took a large spoonful of the cold desert.

"We, we kinda just got thrown together, ya know? I was just catering for one of the Sausage Kings big party tings. I'm asked to do him a service. It's kinda a thing you have ta do in Chicago if you're going to be living there being all supernatural and stuff. You know how it is. I then find myself in a room with two vampires and a changling. We're told that some corpses are leaving their graves and it's causing some trouble. We're to go and investigate. So the teenager vamp breaks us in and Cin and I end up in a mausoleum. We find some really crudely done rituals and we end up following a whole bunch of breadcrumbs. Turns out some dumb mob guy fancied himself a necromancer and got too big for his britches. So we took care of him and that was that. In between we had our first run in with Tyco, made a deal with Gloria for some info on the mob. Fun stuff really. We just keep finding ourselves caught up in new webs and owing favors and it just keeps us together I guess. I like to think we've become friends along the way. Hell, I consider Crux my best friend. She pisses me off sometimes, but she's always had my back when the chips were down."

Another spoonful of Fro-Yo. Then some bacon. 

"It's just been a whirlwind. I'm thankful for it though. I've been kinda on my own since bonding with the Chief. I decided to leave Canada and make a life here. The vampires were the first thing I could relate to in the supernatural world. Isolated, constant hunger." A pause. "I died from starving if ya didn't know. haha after a bear attacked me. Seems dumb eh? Survive a bear just to starve."

He seemed amused. 

"Anyway, I wanted to help em out so I started volunteering with the Red Cross. Did a bunch of blood drives pocketed some of the blood and opened the food truck. Still I never really made any friends till now."

He finished his yogurt. 

"How bout you? I know you were sent to investigate and that's how you got caught up, but what was it like for you before? Mages are the closest to living mortals I've encountered in this world. Life any more normal for ya?"

Jude got a cup of cake batter froyo topped with brownie and cheesecake bites and smothered in caramel sauce and whipped cream. Go big or go home. They sat and she ate as Cassidy told his story. She licked her spoon and nodded, "That makes sense." She replied cheerfully. "I like Crux too. I actually like the group."

She looked confused at her phone as it went off. She gavea small laugh at the message from Helena replying with, "WE SHAN'T" Jude shook her head, "I mean, it is a good group. " her voice was fond.

"And I really don't think it's dumb. Terrifying, to survive a bear but still dying like that. I can't imagine what that is like and I am sorry you had to go through that. " she said sincerely before eating more of her dessert.

Jude swirled the contents of the cup, "My parents are also mages. Moros, or...uh death mages. They wanted me to follow, and were really excited when I Awoke. I joined the Free Council instead of the Silver Ladder and I am a Thyrsus. I am basically the hippie child. Anyway. I work at a pharmacy in a trauma ward so I can heal others...no miracles though. Bad idea." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "I kept my nose out of trouble, so I never really participated in missions...and then Grandfather, the head of my mage group, sent this mission to me personally. I couldn't refuse it. And so then I met you at Ysolda's place. "

Jude finished off her dessert, it never stood a chance. "As lame as it sounds, I never kept friends. I mean, work friends is as far as it went with people, so I get what you're saying." She smiled. "So that's pretty much it."

        Cassidy can hear Johann cackling in his head for easily a full minute.

        Bing! Text from Helena to Jude: GET IT, GIRL!

        Bing! Text from Helena to Cass: OMG, y u so adorbz?!

The sin eater blinked. He hadn't realized his outburst was, well, out. Mental note: keep things internal.

"I guess Mr. Guttenberg saw that we were out. He decided to plant an image in my head. He likes messing with mortals. Guys old. Hes gotta get his kicks somehow eh? Sorry for the little outcry haha"

He listened on. Laughed and responded to the appropriate bits and generally just enjoyed Judes company. He really admired her. She was a lot tougher than she looked. Would she need the ceremony? Time would tell.

Cassidy laughed out loud. A very warm, and genuine. All that was left of it at the end was a large curled smile.

"You are so cute."

He folded his hands and looked out the window thoughtfully. He was happy that she cared enough to give a damn about the Pre-Bargain him. That, however, was a very long and boring story.

"Well, I gre up in Halifax back in Canada. It was a small place, but it was home. Dad was a miner, and my mom was a semi-pro hockey player. A true Canadian romance really."

He smiled. This time it was more nostalgic. A smile at the past rather than at the girl across from him. It was almost sad.

"I was the middle child. A brother who really wanted nothing to do with being an adult, and a younger sister who didn't know how to do anything but. It was a balanced household... I was an angry kid. I have no clue what got a chip on my shoulder, but it was there from as far back as I can remember. I would get into fights at school, yell at inappropriate times, and run away a lot. I was really good at running. It's why I was in the woods that weekend. Friend of mine had a cabin up in the mountains. Decided to go up after my sister and I got into it pretty bad. She called me out on being a child and going no where. She was right. I had dropped out of college, and really didn't do much outside of my dead end job at some music shop."

He leaned back. It was an obvious gesture about how uncomfortable he was with his past self.

"Dying was honestly the best thing that could have happened to me... To my family too... See, after the Chief pulled my soul back I wandered about. I was lost in the mountains for crying out loud. It took some time to get back, and I arrived just in time for my funeral... Everyone was so sad. I just... I couldn't go back... I'm glad though. My brother grew up and now runs his own ski resort. My sister is married with a kid on the way... Heard from a contact she plans to name it after me... Mom and dad are closer than ever. The only family I can talk to is Nana. She's up in a retirement home, and has alzheimer's. I can talk with her, get caught up and no one else will believe I ever spoke to her. Maintains the illusion."

Cass settled back into himself. The hard part was over now. 

"Dying put things in perspective for me. I realized I had been selfish in life, and I now had to give back. I'm just doing my best to atone for any wrong I did. I know I'll be alive and kicking when my family goes. I plan on being there when they go. I can explain everything once their no longer sleeping."

It was a difficult conversation, but Cass felt like these things needed to be said. He wanted to be more open and honest. These were his friends after all. Was Jude a friend? Was she something more at this point?