Bah Humbug! {Open}

[Astrid Jackson]

She glanced at him, curiosity flickering momentarily across her face. For just a few seconds, Leon had indeed been feeling envious. If he hadn't been such a complete tool most of the time she'd been with him, she might have tried to make him feel a little better about everything. Sure, she loved what she did. But as always there were negative things about it. Like... Not ever really being in one spot for more than a few days, crazy fans - some seriously crazy... Not really being able to make friend friends with anyone outside the band cuz, well you could never be sure as to if they liked you for you or because you were in a band. Sometimes it did suck very much so.

She did flash him a small smile on an after thought though. Even though he didn't seem to mind being a jerk - Astrid wasn't one. For the most part. Sometimes she talked too much, didn't think about what she was saying. But she was hardly ever rude to someone just as a general purpose. "It's fun for now... But I think at some point in my life I might, maybe want to settle down.. And be like, normal or something?" Hell she didn't even know if that was the truth. With the way she was? It would be kinda hard to be a completely normal person.

She cast him a dubious look before looking away and rolling her eyes. "I was just saying," she muttered, tucking her chin back down into her parka again - watching the pavement under her feet as they walked. He wasn't being a hundred percent truthful, but then again... Why should he be? He didn't really now her, though he had some sort of power that kinda told him about her so he should like... Know she wasn't a bad person and that she was actually one kick ass cool chick!

Astrid shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing what to say to Leon. It was kinda sad actually. Not her, but Leon's situation. It was like, well she didn't really know... But it was sad, and it had to be lonely to be him. It was like he was building all these walls around himself and making it near impossible for anyone to get close to him. Not that she wanted to, but there had to be someone who might. "Whatever, it's your life and if you wanna be lonely- who am I to say anything?"

[loki2]

OoC; If I'm over stepping any bounds with this post, just let me know.

BiC;
"I don't want to be alone," Leon muttered. "But... Bah, forget I said anything. It doesn't matter." He didn't want to talk about it; but, he did feel kind of bad for ripping a strip off her when she was just trying to make conversation.
Granted, she was a bit rough around the edges, but it didn't take a psychic to know that was just in her nature. Besides, he found it somewhat endearing. Astrid didn't even come up to his shoulders and she spoke with the confidence and self-surety of someone double his size. And he respected that. Even that small smile she'd given him had been vintage.
Kind of made him wish he had better reasons for 'speaking out' than a wounded heart and a massive chip on his shoulder.
Well, whatever.

One building facade away from the front of the Dylan, the world suddenly spiralled and pitched beneath Leon's feet, practically throwing him into the brick face of a hardware store. Sagging, he gasped for breath and leaned heavily against the wall. Then everything went completely white, followed by a progression of images.

A small dark room, hot and humid.
The air shimmering and undulating with the thick, bland scent of natural gas.
An ancient boiler, it's gauge needle steadily climbing further into the red zone.
A massive fireball tearing through a large building, flaming debris raining onto the street below as people ran around screaming in frenzied panic.

Whatever had seized Leon's mind suddenly let go and he slumped to the concrete, trying desperately to force air into his lungs. A dull ache pulsed just behind his eyes, making it somewhat difficult to focus and regain his feet, but he did after a few seconds and waved off any attempts Astrid may have made to aid him.
"I'm fine. I... just got over a bout of pneumonia a couple of weeks ago, and I still get dizzy spells," he lied. "Nothing major, really. Besides," he waved a hand over the building facade. "We're here."
Managing a light smile, Leon held open the door for her. "Well, take care of yourself, Astrid. I really think you're gonna be something oneday, you know? So keep at it and don't screw up." His grin widened cheekily.

But once Astrid was safely in the lobby and the door closed, his smile vanished and the shudder he'd been suppressing danced up his spine. What had that vision meant? Well, ok, stupid question; he knew what it meant, but like when, where, how, why... Those "what's".
And as he glanced back over his shoulder as he walked away, Leon froze in his tracks, his blood turning to ice water: The building he had seen being blown to smithereens? It had been the Dylan Hotel.
When? he wondered frantically, but with the pressure increasing just behind his forehead, he knew; it was going to happen anytime now.

Leon swore and jogged back. Practically knocking the glass door off its hinges as he burst into the lobby, he made a bee-line for Astrid who was still waiting for an elevator up to her floor.
Wasting no time, he grabbed her arm and began pulling her in the direction of the door.
"I have no time to explain," he whispered fiercely in her ear. "But if you want to keep breathing I recommend you come with me right now!" He then suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose; the pressure in his skull continued to build, and it felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head.

[Astrid Jackson]

Frowning slightly, Astrid's eyes widened as Leon suddenly collapsed into a pile right in front of her. She instinctively reached out to help him, only to be waved off by him. Her frown deepened, knowing he was lying about being ill, but... What was the point in confronting him with it? He didn't owe her the truth or anything and if... Well if it made him feel better to lie, well more power to him. Though, she couldn't help but continue to feel concerned about him.

"We're here."Leon said with a small smile and held open the door for her. "Well, take care of yourself, Astrid. I really think you're gonna be something one day, you know? So keep at it and don't screw up." His grin widened cheekily.

Stepping inside, she turned and for the first time that night actually flashed him a full smile. "Well, thanks for helping me.... And thanks for.. Yeah thanks. Good luck.. With whatever you do, bye." She waved off his compliment with a slight blush and quickly turned and hurried away from him and moved right to the front desk.

Picking up the few messages her manager had left demanding to know where she and the boys had been all night, she shook her head, thanked the desk clerk and headed to the elevator and pressed the call button. Bed sounded awesome at that moment.... No wait! Hot bath and then bed! That sounded way better.

The elevator dinged, announcing that it had arrived and she was about to take a step toward it when suddenly her arm was grabbed and she was being all but dragged toward the exit. "Hey!" She cried, trying to jerk her arm away before she realized that it was LEON of all people that had grabbed her. "What the hell ar-"

"I have no time to explain," he whispered fiercely in her ear as she continued to pull her to the door."But if you want to keep breathing I recommend you come with me right now!" He then suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose; and Astrid's eyes widened as his panic and pain suddenly hit her.

"Oh...OK," She whispered back, beginning to feel a bit panicked herself. What in the world though?! What could be going on that would be causing him to act like this??? "Are you OK?" She demanded as they both stepped outside. "Seriously Leon, what's going on?"

[loki2]

"I'll explain in a minute, just keep going!" Leon hissed urgently. "This building is about to -"
He felt rather than heard the whumpf! beneath his feet as it all began.
"GO GO GO!"
Breaking into a run and pulling her along with him, he ignored the looks of confusion thrown their way and kept a tight grip on Astrid's arm as they wove their way through the growing crowd of gawkers. He sure as hell wouldn't want to be them when the real fireworks started. And they had seconds, he realized, as another, stronger tremor reverbrated through the concrete.

Dammit!

Leon managed to get them both behind a delivery truck parked in front of the hardware store beside the hotel when it hit the fan.
"Get down!" He practically pushed Astrid to the ground and covered her with his own body to protect her.
An odd half second of eerie silence preceded the massive ker-WHUMPF!!! that blew open the Dylan's front doors in a cacophony of shattering glass, twisting metal, bursting brick and rapidly expanding hot gas. A wave of heat washed over them and the delivery truck rocked violently on it's suspension. Screams of terror erupted all around them. The climax came in what Leon could only think of as a fiery belch as a huge cloud of flame and superheated gases climbed the old hotel one floor at a time, bursting out the top in a fireball of epic proportions. There was no sound, only a deafening roar occasionally punctuated by falling glass, brick and metal, and the rising wail of multiple sirens in the distance. Several cars that had been parked out front of the hotel had flipped out into the middle of the road; both the hardware store and a convenience store across the street had had their windows blown in; and the wounded screamed for help.

It took a moment for Leon to realize the worst was over. "You ok, Astrid? I think we can -"
His words cut off as a bathtub fell like a meteor, taking off part of the delivery truck's siding and embedding itself into the asphalt a foot from where they cowered. "Umm, I say we go. Now." He climbed to his feet and held out a hand for her.

[Astrid Jackson]

"GO GO GO!"

Astrid's eyes widened and the next minute or so were nothing more than a blur. She found herself being pulled along after Leon as he mad a desperate break through the crowd of people, and she really did try not to bump into anyone, though she did more than once. She didn't even get to apologize and of course that was met by a barrage of loud curses as the two ran for it... She had no idea what they were running from, but whatever it was, it was serious enough that it had Leon in a frenzied panic.

She felt a small tremor under her feet, and her face screwed up in complete confusion. An earthquake?! Since when did friggin New York have earthquakes?! She was about to say something to Leon about her observation, but the next thing that she knew she was being pulled behind a truck of sorts, pushed to the ground - with her cheek pressed against the asphalt and Leon all but laying on top of her....

Astrid tried to shift under the sudden weight of Leon, but he was seriously heavy, so she didn't get anywhere with her movements. This was seriously the weirdest thing that had happened to her lately. It topped even that one time when the guys from the band had decided it would be amusing to have a go at pole dancing. NO, that hadn't been weird - that had been embarrassing.

ker-WHUMPF!!!

She found herself squeezing her eyes shut as glass, metal, and brick rained down around them. What the.... Screams of absolute terror suddenly erupted and Astrid's first thought was that she was in New York during a terrorist attack! Her heart was beating painfully in her chest, and she could've sworn she could feel Leon's too - but whatever! They'd almost DIED! Her breathing hitched at that thought and her eyes snapped open. HOLY SHIT! She'd seriously ALMOST died!! Like dead died! Never to breathe or sing or eat or.... DEAD....

"You OK, Astrid? I think we can -" His words cut off as a bathtub fell like a meteor, taking off part of the delivery truck's siding and embedding itself into the asphalt a foot from where they cowered. "Umm, I say we go. Now." He climbed to his feet and held out a hand for her.

She lay there for a moment, looking up at Leon before she finally reached out and took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. Astrid didn't realize it, but her whole body was trembling. Slowly she turned and looked at was once the Dylan Hotel and her mouth dropped open. It looked like a huge bomb had torn the place apart. No windows, not much of anything but a fiery shell.

She felt Leon tug on her hand, but she couldn't move, couldn't tear her gaze away from the horror that was spread out before her. She'd seriously almost died! She could have been inside when that had happened! People had died! People were hurt! Holy shit, she could have easily been one of them!

She felt someone shaking her by her shoulders, but she was so wrapped up in her growing panic that she paid them no heed. As her panic continued to grow, Astrid's mental walls around her powers came crashing down and she literally felt as though she had been not only hit with every emotion of every single person in the area was feeling, but it was like an attack. Emotions pounding in on her and she had no way at that moment to stop them.

Outrage, annoyance, hostility, despair, anxiety, pain, terror, love, joy, sadness, lust, confusion, panic, blissfulness...and more and more and more kept coming at her.

She swayed slightly, and her knees felt like they were about to give out. She looked up and blinked, almost looking surprised to see Leon staring down at her. "I don't feel so good...." She whispered, flinching as a fresh wave of emotions hit her.

[loki2]

"Astrid? Astrid..." Leon tugged on her arm, but stopped away from her when she didn't respond.
Whoops. His hands were abraised and he'd left a few spots of blood on her white parka.
How the hell can I possibly think of that right here and now?! He gave himself a swift mental kick in the ass.
Besides, he'd done the garment worse when he'd shoved her to the ground and practically flattened her.
Well, it could have been a LOT worse... he thought grimly, staring mutely as Astrid did.
Leon was trained in first-aid, however, and recognized that she was going into shock.
"Astrid, we need to get somewhere warm," he said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking gently.
Still nothing.

Then she swayed on her feet and said in a small voice, "I don't feel so good...."

Leon caught her in his arms and held her upright, concern seizing his chest - followed by a flame of annoyance with himself for feeling said concern. Well, whatever. He'd wait with her until a paramedic was free then he was gone; he still didn't want any of the cops now dashing helter-skelter around the scene to get a second look at him.
But wait, no - the hospital would be the worst place for her right now. He could feel it; feel them: The emotions spiralling about her mind unrestrained, each one demanding her attention. Leon winced with sympathy. He was still running on adrenaline and the mental blocks he'd had in place all these years saved him from the worst of it, but he knew what it was like to feel overwhelmed by too many foreign minds.

Leon sighed long and heavy. Dammit, she wasn't his responsibility! But he knew for certain that none of the emergency aid workers here would be able to do anything useful for her; so now he felt obligated to take care of Astrid.
First, he pulled off his beanie and scarf and placed them on her; they were very warm from his own body heat and would help stave off shock-induced chill. It was big risk he was taking what with all the cops around, but he didn't particularly care at the moment. Most of the fuzz were busy 'securing the scene' anyway.
"C'mon Astrid," he said again, one arm still around her shoulders, strong and encouraging.
He didn't like it in the least, but his apartment wasn't that far from here and it would probably be the best place to take her. A number of the other units were vacant, and his windows faced away from the main street, making his place quiet both tangibly and etherealy. He also had jasmine tea and incense, two things he'd found through experience to help repair mental barriers simply by soothing.

As he began to lead her away, the original Super Mario Bros. theme chimed from inside his jacket; someone was calling his cellphone. And with certain dread, Leon knew exactly who it was.
Sure enough-

"TIBERIUS! Where the fu-"
Leon held the phone away from his ear as his "boss" pointed out the finer details of Leon's future if the younger man didn't deliver the money within the next 10 minutes. But glancing out of the corner of his eye down at Astrid, Leon knew there was no way he could possibly take Astrid with him; Big Jim wouldn't miss out on an opportunity like that.
He shuddered.
"You get me, pretty boy? I don't care 'bout no goddamn terrorist bomb! You get your skinny ass to Jim's place or I'll be findin-"
Leon snapped the phone shut and turned it off. That action alone was going to have serious consequences, but he'd deal with it later. He wasn't in the mood right now.
"Astrid, I have a safe place we can go. It's just a short walk from here, ok?" He just wanted to make sure she was still coherent.

[Astrid Jackson]

Blinking rapidly, Astrid continued to look up at Leon in confusion - even after he'd caught her, making sure she didn't land in a undignified heap on the ground. She was having the hardest time focusing on anything outside the emotions that were still assaulting her. She did know where she was and what had just happened, but it was really hard to try to even think about those things when so many emotions were pounding at her, demanding her attention. This was seriously sucking big time.

She didn't say anything as Leon pulled her beanie down on top of her head or when he wrapped his scarf around her neck. She knew it was a nice thing to do, and part of her wanted to thank him for it... But her head was starting to pound from what was going on, and speaking at that point in time would have required entirely too much energy - energy she didn't have. But she was thankful, mainly because she was cold... Very cold.

Astrid's gaze moved to the burning hotel, and her lips turned down into a pout. She had wanted to take a bath. That had been the only thing she'd been worried about before. And now? Now she had so much more to worry about, but... She shook her head, her forehead furrowing more and more with each of her thoughts. The bath wasn't important - what was important was that she was alive.... Alive enough to be experiencing the onslaught of every single person's emotions. Oh yes, it was sucking bad.

"C'mon Astrid," Leon said, wrapping a strong, comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Where are we going?" She murmured, wincing again. She brought her hand up and pressed it against the middle of her head - almost as though that one action would be enough to stop her head from continuing it's pounding. Of course it wasn't, but... Whatever.

Leon wasn't paying attention to her though at that moment. He was talking on the phone and from the looks of it, didn't seem all that impressed by whatever whoever he was talking to had to say. But he was worried, she could feel that.... But what was he worried about? She didn't know, but she hoped that she wasn't getting him into trouble.

"Astrid, I have a safe place we can go. It's just a short walk from here, ok?" He just wanted to make sure she was still coherent.

Nodding, Astrid lowered her hand and made a waving motion with it. "Sure.." She muttered, blinking again before dropping her hand down to her side. Somewhere safe? She'd thought that the hotel was safe... But she'd been wrong about that. But Leon had saved her, and he wouldn't like lead her to another unsafe place, would he? Well she'd just have to trust him... As long as she was safe and got some sleep, she was sure that she'd be all good.

[loki2]

At his usual brisk pace and with his knowledge of the back alleys, Leon could have made it to his place in just over five minutes. But with Astrid at his side it took them closer to twenty minutes to reach his street from where the Dylan Hotel once stood.
It was a complex of townhouses and two-storey apartment buildings in clusters of eight units each. The building that housed his unit was mostly empty, with just him and an older woman with 14 cats renting. And hers was on the opposite side of the building and up one floor.

His apartment was dark and quiet. With a sigh that was half exasperation and half relief, Leon kicked his boots off on the mat in front of the door and threw his jacket and the small black backpack onto the counter in the kitchen. There were numerous clicks as he set the kettle to boil and turned on a few lights.
Inside Leon's apartment, the door opened into a narrow walkthrough kitchen with an opening to the living room immediately on the left. It was moderately furnished, a small dining table visible on the otherside of the kitchen; a plush, grey chesterfield with a glass coffe table resting parellel in front, and a grey wall cabinet housing a tv, a large stereo system and various bric-a-brac: Framed photos, what looked like a piece of coral, a brass pocket watch, and a couple trophies hung with medals; closer inspection would reveal they were prizes from martial arts competitions.
Interstingly, all the photos in the cabinet were group shots.
Following the same left hand path leading off the kitchen, a narrow hallway was concealed in darkness.

"Make yourself comfortable," he mumbled.
Leon strode through the kitchen onto the otherside and disappeared behind the wall. There was the sound of a dryer door opening and closing then Leon was moving into the living room. He tossed a bundle onto the couch; it was a plaid flannel shirt and a pair of trackpants. "They might be a bit big on you, but they're warm. Bathroom's at the end of the hall if you want to change."
He then returned to the kitchen to continue preparing the tea.

[Astrid Jackson]

Following Leon into his apartment, she slowly looked around, though honestly she really wasn't paying all that much attention to what she was seeing. No, her mind was still on that terrifying explosion. She couldn't stop thinking of it. That and the feelings that were still be flung in her direction, Granted, it was no where near as bad as it had been outside the ruined hotel. But it was still enough to cause an annoying discomfort.

Astrid stood in the kitchen's entryway for a moment, hesitating for a brief second while Leon moved further inside. Sighing, she leaned over and slowly untied the laces of her boots and slid her feet out of them. Standing straight, she shrugged off her parka and for a half second was tempted to just to drop it on top of her boots, but decided that it wouldn't be good guest etiquette. In the end, she just draped it over her arm and moved further inside herself.

Chewing softly on her bottom lip, she moved through the small kitchen and straight into the living room. Any other time she might have been impressed by his stereo system and might have demanded to see his CD collection - just to make sure his taste in music didn't suck too much - but well, she just didn't seem to care. And that was just weird for her! Music was her life! And she always figured that people's taste in music said a lot about them.

"Make yourself comfortable," Leon mumbled before disappearing to do only God knew what.

"OK," Astrid sighed, and carefully sank down onto the edge of his couch. She wasn't even really sitting there. More like... Perching uncomfortably. She'd laid her parka on the cushion beside her and her purse - which she was rather surprised she still had - was set on her lap. Everything inside that purse... It was like, everything she had at that moment, and it wasn't a lot. Her wallet, some makeup, a small brush and a small vial of perfume. Everything else? It had been in her luggage up in her room. Everything... Well everything she'd brought with her. But still... It really sucked.

Suddenly Leon had reappeared and was tossing something onto the couch. "They might be a bit big on you, but they're warm. Bathroom's at the end of the hall if you want to change."

She nodded slowly and reached over, fingering the material of the clothes between her fingers. She didn't even have her own friggin clothes! Oh man. But, at least Leon was like... Loaning her some. Hanging out in his apartment with tore up fishnets, and a dirty skirt didn't sound all that appealing. "Thanks," she said, lifting her gaze to meet his but found he wasn't even there anymore. Shrugging, she gathered her purse and the clothes and headed off to find the bathroom.

It didn't take her all that long to wash up and change. She'd washed all her makeup off, and gathered her long hair into a ponytail. The clothes though... She was basically swallowed by them, they were so big on her. She felt like a kid who was trying their parent's clothes on. But they were clean, and she did feel a little better, so it wasn't like she could really complain about anything. So what if she'd had to fold the sleeves of the flannel about five times, or that it hung to her knees?

She folded her own clothes and left them on top of the hamper, not really sure what else to do with them. She stared at her clothes for a moment before finally shutting her eyes and taking a deep breath. Concentrating, she took several slow, deep breaths and forcibly cleared her mind, shutting out all the noise and all the annoying emotions - every single one of them. She didn't want to feel what anyone was feeling. She wished she knew how to turn off her own emotions, but well that wasn't exactly possible.

Satisfied that her blocks were finally back in place, Astrid opened her eyes and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Grabbing her purse again, she shuffled out of the bathroom, taking special care not to trip over the length of the track pants - she really didn't need to split her lip open at this point in time.

She headed back to the living room, but instead of heading straight for the couch, she instead made a point of going to the kitchen. She peered inside and watched Leon silently for a few moments. "Did you.. You know? Need any help or anything?"

[loki2]

Leon's heart went out to Astrid despite himself; there wasn't much that surprised him anymore, but he knew that if he'd been her he'd be reeling bad. If not for his intervention, she more than likely would have died. Horribly. That would unsettle anyone.
It would have been an end to her budding music career. Her friends and family would suddenly find a blackhole in their lives where she had once been.
At that thought, he stopped himself and pushed it angrily from his mind, but to his dismay the vacant spot was filled with a thought that left him weak in the knees:
Who would mourn him if his life was cut short unexpectedly?
It left a deep well of sadness in the center of his chest.

"Whatever," he grumbled under his breath, attempting - as he always did - to shove aside the depression and force anger into it's place. It didn't work; now that the adrenaline was wearing off he felt drained and incapable of reasserting his usual mental blocks.
Well, wasn't that just peachy.
"Ouch." Hot water spilled onto his hand as he accidentally overfilled the mug of tea he was preparing for Astrid. "Dumbass..." Leon cursed himself. His actions had reflected the irritation he felt with himself.

"Did you... You know? Need any help or anything?"

Leon's head snapped up. He had to admit, she looked pretty cute in clothing that was God-only-knew how many sizes too big for her - or it could have just been his manly ego reacting to the fact that it was a girl wearing his clothes. He felt the irritation and sadness lessen to the point where he could actually manage a small, tired smile for her. "No no, I'm almost done. You just go have a seat and rest; I'll be out in a sec, Astrid." He hastily stirred in a teasthingy of honey and a squirt of lemon juice; the tea bag then levitated out of the steaming hot liquid and deposited itself into the sink.

Finished, Leon made his way into the living room and set the mug of tea onto a coaster he slid across the coffee table. He then settled into a well-worn grove at the opposite end of the couch with a slight groan. He appeared contemplative for a moment before leaning over the arm rest, his sweater riding up enough to reveal a long, ragged scar that ran diagonally across the taut skin of his lower back. As he settled back into his seat, a tinny voice broke the tentative silence:
"Hey Leon, just wondering if you'd be up for drinks on Wednesday. It's Chad by the way. Later dude." Beeeeeep!
"Hun, it's Elsie. Again. Please please please give me a call!" Beeeeep!
Leon made a face.
"{It's your grandfather. Have you talked to your mother lately, Arkasha? She misses you, and I really think you should come home, even if only for a little while. I know Elsie, Gavin and your other friends would be very happy to see you too. Please give me a call once you get this message.}" Beeeep!
Leon had visibly held his breath as the short message in Russian played. Once it was done, he let out a snort that turned into a long sigh as he leaned over the armrest again and deleted his messages.
Oh yeah. This night just kept getting better and better.

His fingers unconsciously dove into the folds of the cushion that seperated the headrest from the arm rest. A second later he produced a beaten pack of Marlboro's with three cigarettes all but hanging out. His safety blanket. Leon had been trying to quit for over a year, and almost had the habit licked, but any major emotional strain had him reaching for and wrapping his lips around one of those toxin-ridden cancer sticks.

"Sorry," he said aloud, lighting up and blowing the smoke away from Astrid.
The apology had been as much for himself as it had been for her.

[Astrid Jackson]

"No no, I'm almost done. You just go have a seat and rest; I'll be out in a sec, Astrid."

Nodding her head, Astrid turned and walked back into the living room. Rest though? She didn't even know if she'd be able to sleep. EVER. Man, she'd probably be having nightmares about this night for the rest of her life and then some. But, she supposed she could try to relax a little bit. Or something like that.

Sinking down on the couch again, she dropped her purse beside it before she drew her legs up - tucking her feet underneath her. With a sigh, she leaned back, and for the first time since she'd been inside actually began to take in her surroundings. It was a lot easier to do now that she wasn't overwhelmed with other people's emotions. She had to admit that Leon had a pretty nice place. It wasn't huge or anything like that, but it seemed like a nice size for one person.

She didn't really get a chance to do too much looking around as Leon came into the living room and set a cup of tea before her. "Thanks,"She flashed him a small smile and leaned forward and carefully picked it up. Leaning back again, she cradled the cup of hot substance in her hands, though didn't take a drink from it. Her forehead furrowed a bit and she knew that she should thank him for all he'd done... But how exactly was one suppose to thank someone else for saving their lives? A verbal thank you didn't even seem close to enough.

Astrid turned slightly to face him, and her eyes widened a bit seeing the ragged scar that ran across his lower back. She tried not to stare, and tried not think of how he could possibly get something like that. But seriously, it wasn't any of her businesses, and she quickly turned her eyes away and without thinking brought the cup to her lips and took a sip.

Pain seared her tongue and she lowered the cup, cursing quite loudly - which Astrid didn't really do a lot of - but she'd just burned her tongue! She shot Leon a sheepish look and quickly leaned forward again and placed the tea back on it's coaster. Yeah, she'd try again when it wouldn't burn her tongue off.

Astrid was quiet as Leon's messages were played and smiled slightly. Well, he did have friends... And maybe a girlfriend. Her eyes widened again and she shot Leon a nervous look, wondering if she was going to get her ass handed to her by some jealous girlfriend. God she hoped not. She really did not want to deal with a crazy girlfriend, she honestly had more important things to deal with.

Suddenly the smell of a cigarette reached her nose, and automatically it wrinkled. Scooting a little more away from him, she glanced at the cigarette. She'd tried smoking when she was younger, but had coughed so hard that she'd thought her lungs were about to come up.... And that had been the only time she'd tried it. A couple of the guys from the band.... Her mouth suddenly fell open and she shot to her feet. "Crap crap crap!" She cried and quickly grabbed her parka and began digging in it's pockets. She needed to call them! They probably thought she was dead or something!

Not finding her phone, she groaned and dropped the parka back onto the couch. "Shit..." She muttered and picking up her purse, fell to her knees and dumped it's contents on the carpet in front of her. Still no phone! "No no no no no! This can not be happening!" She threw her empty purse down, feeling completely frustrated, and rocked back onto her heels.

She must have dropped her phone .... well somewhere. How the hell was she suppose to let them know she was OK? She hadn't ever bothered to memorize any of their numbers. No of course not! She'd always figured she'd have her phone! Man was she stupid.

[loki2]

Worn out as he was, and with Astrid sitting so close, her emotions came unbidden to him. Gratitude (which made him a little antsy), shock and curiosity, anxiety, disgust (not that he could blame her; smoking was a filthy habit after all). Normally he'd find it irritating and invasive, but right now he welcomed the distraction from the maelstrom going on in his own head. The muscles in his back gradually loosened and he snuffed the cigarette in a clean ashtray; he'd only smoked about half.

"Crap crap crap!"

Leon sat straighter, glancing over at Astrid with a mixture of confusion, curiosity and a little amusement as she went on a rampage and practically tore apart her purse. He was guessing she'd lost something important and was just realizing that whatever it was had probably evaporated when the Dylan went skyhigh.

"Uh, everything ok over there?" he asked casually once she was through. "Do you need something? Medicine? Smokes? Ahh, no, I guess it wouldn't be that, ha ha, hmm..." He looked around then picked up his cordless. "Phone? I'm guessing there's probably a number or something you can call to let others know you're ok. Hang on." He plucked the remote from the coffee table and flicked on the tv, going straight for the news channel.

//OoC; Sorry for teh shortness; brain fart ^^;//

[Astrid Jackson]

Astrid's lips turned down into a pout and she stared at the contents of her purse. She really could not believe that she'd managed to lose her phone! It had all her important numbers in it! Her parents, her band mates, even her friggin manager's number was in that thing. And now? Now she had no phone and no numbers. By now they probably knew about the hotel being all but evaporated and probably thought that she had been inside! Well maybe not the guys from the band - they'd been pretty trashed when she'd left them at the club.

She turned her head and stared at Leon for a moment, her lips still turned down in her pout. "I lost my phone," she stated sadly. It really did suck though.... Her thoughts trailed off when she finally caught that Leon was.. sorta maybe offering the use of his phone! She would have squealed in absolute delight except the phone was useless without a friggin phone number! "Do you have a phone book?" She finally asked figuring that her manager might be listed somewhere inside since he had offices in the city.

Her gaze tore to the TV and her mouth dropped open seeing the images of the burning hotel. She wasn't even paying attention to what the reporter was saying. Holy crap... It looked awful, well it had been and it was... BUT, seeing it on TV? It just made it all that much more real. It was crazy. How many people had died? And what the hell had happened to cause the thing to blow up anyway??

Leaning forward, Astrid rested her arms on Leon's coffee table and then rested her chin on her arms. She watched the images on the TV quietly, and really really hoped that no one really thought that she was dead. That would have sucked, like seriously. Turning her head a bit, she looked at Leon again. "Can I ask you a question?" She asked breaking the silence, though honestly? She was more than likely gonna ask him her question whether he said yes or no.

[loki2]

"Ah," was all Leon gave in reply to Astrid's explanation for going to town on her belongings. God, that had to suck. Leon didn't know what he'd do with himself if he'd lost his phone. He even had a photo - albeit a very poor one - of him with an arm around Kate Moss! How many of his fellow stallions could claim that?

"Do you have a phone book?"

"Uhhh, yeah... There should be one around here." He didn't just lean over the arm rest this time but practically vaulted himself over it. Now half-hanging off the coach, one bent leg hovered an inch or so off the cushion - and if Astrid was looking his way she'd be staring straight at his butt. "Eh? I could've swore I'd... Ahh, there you are you little wanker." He righted himself with a grunt and produced a battered phonebook 2 years recent. His face was flush from nearly inverting himself to scrounge under his side table. "Here you go, Astrid."

For the next few minutes, he watched the grave news footage in silence with Astrid. But before he had a chance to really absord what he was seeing Astrid turned to face him and flatly asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

Leon muted the television and turned to face her, small, wry smirk on his hadsome face. "Didn't really give me a chance there, did you sweet pea?" A few seconds passed then his expression became blank. "Sorry, what did you want to ask me?"

[Astrid Jackson]

Astrid's eyebrows arched in... Well something, she wasn't quite sure exactly what it was.... Either amusement, shock, maybe a little awe (how ofter did a girl get a chance to check some dude's butt out like this?!) as Leon practically hung over the couch with his butt up in the air. She quickly adverted her eyes though when he finally righted himself announcing that he'd found the phone book. "Oh, thanks..." She mumbled and quickly reached over and took the phone book from him.

She flipped through the phone book for a few minutes, continuing to half listen to the news. Her forehead scrunched up as she flipped through the pages and finally after what seemed like forever found her manager's number. Grinning, she leaned over and grabbed Leon's cordless from off the couch (hey he had in a way given her permission to use it.). She quickly dialed the number and frowned when she got his voice-mail. Though really what had she expected?? It was really late after all! She left a message letting him know she was indeed OK and that she'd contact him in the morning since she didn't have her cell anymore.

Hanging up, she leaned back against the couch and turned her attention back to Leon. She studied him for a moment before she realized that he'd actually said that it was OK to ask her question. OK, so she was a bit shocked, mainly because he hadn't been all that open to her prying into anything about him before. Taking a deep breath, she flashed him a small smile. "OK, I'm just... Kinda wondering... Why'd you... You know? Save me? Not that I'm not grateful!" She quickly added. "But I'm just curious...."

Astrid was suddenly quiet and her smile suddenly turning into a frown. "What a minute... Did you just call me SWEET PEA?" Her eyes narrowed and without thinking, she reached back, grabbed a cushion and swung it at him. "You don't just call... women SWEET PEA! Man what is wrong with you? Do I look like a friggin sweet pea?!"