the_lioness | (no subject)

If Alanna can waltz into 134 uninvited, then surely Indy can do the same at her place. He doesn't though. If only because Stampy beats him to the door when she realizes where they are headed. When awesome apple-toting Aunts are involved, she can be pretty fast. The only time she's quicker is when she's fleeing from the scene of a great naughtiness, or when she's being chased for perpertration of said naughtiness.

Indy has partial disability excuses for losing out. Not that he ever breaks out of an ambling gait. Actually, the frenzied charge on the door amuses him slightly.

"Easy girl. Brakes!"

The miniphant slips and slides and thuds into the door as she tries to slow down on the hardwood. Indy facepalms. Unperturbed, the doughty beast rears up and starts to pound excitedly on the woodwork with her flat little feet. It suffices as a slightly muted knocking if the thump has gone unnoticed.

There is an answering thump from inside as the heavy volume of Tortallan warfare hits the ground. Alanna slides off the couch, maneuvering her way around discarded weapons and stacks of books, throwing open the door with a cautious smile. A tight black T-shirt is partially tucked into black breeches, her hair is a tangled riot of red shoved impatiently over her shoulder and her feet are curiously bare. She looks surprised to see Indy out and about, but her expression shifts from worry to glee when the miniphant barrels into her legs, wrapping her trunk around one of Alanna's ankles.

"Stampy!" She drops to the ground, arms open wide for the wiggling tiny elephant. "Goddess, I've missed you."

"Yeah. Missed her so much, after just a couple'a days. Bet she'd get more than a pair of socks if she was gone for more than four months." Indy side-steps into the apartment, bumping Alanna's shoulder playfully. "I didn't bring any frogs this time, I'm afraid. Can I still hang out though?"

"I'd love it if you would."

Gathering Stampy in her arms, she stands and flashes him a sheepish smile as she braves the kitchen in search of apples.

Calling over her shoulder, "appreciate those socks. I had a sock related accident earlier, and might just take them back."

A shadow of protectiveness moves over his face as he looks up from a stack of weighty tomes. They're secretly his favorite pair now.

"That sounds far more ominous than it should in any place that isn't... here."

He picks up a practice bow and starts twanging the string experimentally. He's in no hurry to join tinyphant feeding time.

Apples are always easy to locate in Alanna's kitchen. She smiles as she selects two, Stampy's trunk playfully poking at her ear.

"I had no idea socks could catch on fire so quickly."

As she re-enters the living room, her eyes go wide at the sight of Indy fiddling with her bow.

"It's not a harp, you know. Anyway, it's a good thing I'm a light sleeper as the young lad was determined to test his prowess."

Settling Stampy on the couch beside her, she draws her dagger and starts slicing the apple into bite-size pieces, feeding them to the miniphant as she goes.

Sticking his chin out, Indy gives the bow one final pluck, as one might give a harp string. Then he sets the weapon back down and trudges over to join knight and elephant on the couch. "Untreated cotton and silk is pretty combustible," he geeks at her. "More'n wool or unnatural acrylic fibers."

"This 'lad' would be one of your dragon babies? Breathing fire already...?"

His eyes wander off a little warily.

"I have no idea what the socks were made of," she says with chin held high. "Only that they now consist of nothing but ashes."

Eyes bright with mischief, she nods seriously and covers Stampy's ears.

"Aye, you'd be amazed how quickly they pick things up. Quite the little adventurers... LOOK OUT! HE'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"

He isn't.

Indy starts at the sudden shout and jerks his head around. At least he didn't jump into her lap or scream like a little girl, Mike. The resulting scowl should be enough pay-off for the knight.

He swats her forearm.

"Hah."

"Hah."

Distrustfully now, "where are they?"

"I'm a regular riot," she laughs. Not at all daunted by his scowl, she reaches over and pokes her fingertip at the side of his mouth, forcing it into a semblance of a smile. "They have commandeered the bedroom."

He pouts harder as she tries to meld, eyeing said bedroom. "Bet your bloke's over the moon about that."

And then, the thought of Adam's chagrin releases the smirk properly.

Alanna shrugs, her hand dropping back to her lap. Stampy roots around Alanna's pockets for a moment before coming to grips with the fact that she had eaten the last of the apples.

"We have homes for most of them, I believe. Two of them go to Lucy and Caspian. I'm not sure they know they are getting twins just yet."

She can't imagine Lucy will mind. Caspian, however? That's a different story.

On-hand treats exhausted, Stampy clambers off the couch and goes in search of more illicit snack bounty. While she's acquired many of daddy's ninja skills and a lot of Meg's dance grace, she also has the keen treasure hunter's nose of a certain explorer Uncle.

Indy watches her snuffling around. "Well, I'm sorry to say that we're already maxed out on pets. So please don't be offering one to Mike."

Let us not forget Alanna's stubbornness and determination. She makes her way into the kitchen, trumpeting her approval when she pushes open the pantry door.

"That sounds familiar." Alanna pauses, listening. "Do you think the Naked Ninja would want one?"

"You're kidding, right?" Indy looks at her with slight incredulity. "If Mikey had his way, he'd turn the suite into a petting zoo. Or worse."

"If I had a dime for every time I've heard him ask if we can keep some new cute thing, and the claims that he'll walk it and take care of it and pick up after it... and... and... pleeeeaaase, Indy."

He rolls his eyes insufferably.

There's a clatter from the direction of the pantry. Followed by the sound of gleeful munching.

Further proof that Alanna and Mike as roommates would be chaos incarnate.

"I do seem to collect pets, myself."

She pats his arm, trying not to laugh, and quirks an eyebrow at the sudden noise. The munching continues until Stampy reappears, pushing a potato chip bag across the floor as she tries to get the last few crumbs.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Better. If slightly uneasy at the prospect that you're now gonna be obtuse and give him one anyway."

He follows Stampy's progress across the carpet and smirks.

"I mean, I let him keep Her Majesty there. And then Mel." That's very obviously a joke. "And I love 'em both to death. But they really take a lot of looking after. And, geez, the food bills..."

Still smirking.

"Nonsense," she declares haughtily. "I think they both decided to keep you."

Wiping that smirk off his face becomes of the utmost importance, if only because it will make her laugh. She smiles innocently, poking him in the side as if she's about to start tickling at any moment.

"Have you really not been here since the frog episode?"

Indy squirms at her poking, still managing to keep a semblance of a smirk in place. "Hey. Careful. Wounded man here." A minor playfight seems inevitable as he retaliates with a few well-aimed squeezes and prods of his own.

Through his exertions, he manages to answer. "Nope. I figured you'd cast some anti-Indy spells and wards and stuff."

"Plus..." and the slight wariness creeps back, "I didn't wanna give Tulip any false hope. Y'know, if I'd kept coming round she might've thought I had a thing for her too."

Snickering, Alanna wonders at the feasibility of sneaking Tulip into Indy's bed.

"Wounded man and wounded woman," she reminds him. "Never fear. She's well over you. She remembers you fondly, of course, but it wasn't THAT great of a kiss."

Indeed, Tulip will always pine for Cuthbert.

"Indy," she starts, watching Stampy trap the potato chip bag in a corner and try to crawl inside. "What do you typically do when faced with an opponent you know you can't handle?"

The poking and prodding eases up and the levity of expression fades away. Whether it's because Tulip has got over him, or due to the gravity and suddenness of the new topic, is unclear.

(The drone of a German Flying Wing, warming up in the Egyptian sun)

"Um." She's asking him advice? His face shows slight surprise and then turns a bit questioning. "Work on self-preservation. Mostly."

(the choked sound of propellor blades meeting with flesh)
(A swastika-emblazoned tail fin spattered with blood)

"Y'know... fight or flight. Whatever works in the circumstances."

"Why?"

Self-preservation. It seems like such a simple concept, but when stirred into a mix with chivalry, pride and honor, it gets spit out the other side resembling something like cowardice.

To a knight, at least. To Alanna.

"Smart," she says, deep in thought. The intelligence inherent in opting for self-preservation is not the issue. "I'm being toyed with."

Indy's slightly flippant manner drops into something far more earnest. He attempts to make eye contact.

"Roger again?"

Her laugh is utterly without humor.

"I wish," she snorts. "No, not Roger. Have you by any chance seen a stunningly beautiful woman lurking about?" She makes a face. "Of course you have. But this one has hair so red it makes you think of blood."

Scowling, Alanna flicks her own red hair between two fingers as if it is dulled by the memory of War.

Such a description does not require much thought. He'd remember something like that.

"No."

"Alanna. What's going on?"