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Log Title: Morning at Ben’s Place

Log setting: Ben’s apartment, the morning following the night Trace’s Evil Sundae was created.

Log Cast:
Benjamin
Alisynde
Trace
Jean-Batiste

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Alisynde swoops behind Ben as he's removing his shoes. Stealth hug!

Trace hmfs, settling down on the brown carpet and reaching for a sandwich eagerly. "Aww Batiste, my sundae was *good*. Ask Ben! But at least you blessed it, even if ya didn't like it none." He takes a huge half-moon bite out of his sandwich, which is held in both hands.

Jean-Batiste settles on the carpet beside Trace, leaning into his friend a little, one arm draped around slim shoulders. He reaches for a sandwich, smiling up at Ali and Ben as he starts to wolf down the sandwich in record time.

Benjamin gives an odd sound when he's stealth-hugged. It's not quite a shriek, for it isn't loud. It -is- high-pitched, sort of like the strangled squeal or a choked squirrel. And he blinks, a lot, trying to figure out how taking off his shoes led to being squeezed. he realizes after a moment that it's only Ali, and isn't related to the shoe-removal, and so turns around to hug her shoulders gently.

Alisynde oohs happily. "Ben! You didn't tell me you were a squeaky toy!" She hugs him again - apparently trying to see if he'll squeak.

Trace giggles at Ali and her new Squeaky Ben toy around a mouthful of bread and deli meat. Once he's swallowed it down, he looks over to Batiste and releases one of the hands gripping his sandwich to ruffle a few blonde braids and ask, "So where'd you go today? I 'spected you back sooner..."

Benjamin squeaks again, obediently, cracking the smallest of smiles. Shoes discarded now, he leans back a bit, considering the expanse of bowl-like chair, and the fact that his admittedly wimpy frame only takes up about half of it. Leaning back, curling up, he gestures a bit to Alisynde, not quite looking up all the way at her. Somewhere around the young woman's neck, perhaps. "Join me?" he offers quietly, trying to keep the little waver out of his tone. He -did- want to be hugged awfully much, and now doesn't want to let the contact go.

Jean-Batiste smiles gently at Trace and leans into the ruffling, as patient as the family dog getting its ears tugged by one of the children - though Batiste seems to enjoy the ruffling a lot more. He devours the first sandwich in next to no time at all and reaches for a second, replying through a mouthful, "I waf doin' anoffer jof for Mahco." He turns his attention to the sandwich, wiping a bit of mayo off the edge of the bread and popping it into his mouth.

Alisynde nods, and comes around the front of the chair. She wriggles herself into the other half, and being rather skinny herself, manages to fill the other half quite nicely. She seems rather loath to let go of the contact either - for it is quite comforting.

"Did it go easier than last time...?" Trace asks hopefully. "No creeps grabbin' ya?" He is still working on his first sandwich, being much more picky about it now that he's got those first few huge bites scarfed down. He first peels away the crusts and sets the little brown strips back down on the plate holding the sandwiches, then takes to nipping at it now in random spots around the sandwiches newly frayed edges.

Benjamin gives Ali the smallest of smiles... shy? Perhaps so, for he does lower his chin just the slightest bit. Trying his best to be nonchalant, he stretches an arm out over the cushion, so that she can snuggle up if she wants. But there's certainly enough room for them both to sit without getting all too cozy. Yet a phrase on the other side of the room whips Ben's attention over there. "Someone grabbed you?"

Jean-Batiste considers for a few seconds, wolfing through most of the second sandwich as well. "Yeah, it was...well, no problems or nothing." He smiles slight but reassuringly to Trace, leaning into his shoulder a little more, looking altogether lazy now that he's in a warm, safe, familiar place with food filling his belly. A glance up to Ben, and a casual, slightly stiff shrug up to him. "I delivered something to a guy for Marco last night, and the guy tried to convince me to come back to his room with him, that's all. It was nothing, he backed down soon as I started causing a scene."

Alisynde gives Ben one of her warm, wide Ali smiles, and snuggles without crowding. But Jean's words cause her to practically wrench her head around to look at him. She grimaces. "Not fun."

"He was a creep," Trace insists once more, then licks the remaining mayonaisse off his fingers and reaches for another sandwich, starting to pluck at the edges and de-crust this one as well. "Make some more easy cash with this latest job?"

Benjamin settles against Alisynde, nervously at first, and then further relaxing, bit by bit, practically muscle by muscle. Unlike the snuggle in the back of Walker's car, he doesn't have the relaxation of alcohol to loosen his natural tightness. He doesn't have velvet to offer either, but he does have a silk shirt? Ben watches Batiste carefully, then nods a bit, relieved to see his young friend relaxing and warming. "As long as he left you alone."

Jean-Batiste shakes his head a little, seeming rather unfazed about it. "It's okay, seriously," he promises Ali. "He's just a chicken hawk, that's all." He rubs at the back of his neck, then nods a little to Ben. "Yeah, soon as I told him to back off, he let me go. It's okay." He smiles a little at Trace, bumping shoulders with his friend again. "Yeah, easy money. It-" He pauses, as if not wanting to talk about money around others, then decides to finish anyways. "Fourty bucks."

Alisynde has velvet to offer today. Lace, too. She doesn't get too close - partly cause she's listening to the conversation, and partly because she doesn't want to freak Ben out anymore than he already likely /is/. But when she's in a snuggly mood, she's not at all shy about it. She nods, Jean-wards. "Oh, I know. I've been there, though. It's not fun." Notice she is not freaking out. She's simply stating that is sucks.

"I never been there," Trace admits in a murmur with something near relief in his voice, still worrying at his sandwich more than eating it. "Anyway, I oughta see if there's any temporary work I 'kin get... I wanna be able to help out too once we got our place. D'wanna be a dead weight." Nip nip at the sandwich. "Then again, that whole thing with the docks and Mule and stuff sounded a bit.. hmm. Well, kinda depressing. Did you ever decide 'bout that, anway..? Never told me much how that meeting went."

Maybe Ben never learned that a snuggle can be shared between friends innocently. And the turmoil in his heart that he confessed, however briefly, to Ali the other night probably isn't helping his present anxiety. Dealing with this internally, he's only really half-listening to the conversation, nodding at appropriate times. Silly Ben, if he could only just -relax- a little, he'd be fine.

Alisynde turns to look at Ben for a moment - a long, considering look. Then she leans into him and murmurs something.

Alisynde mutters to Benjamin, "Are... ok?... nervous, I..."

"Well..." Batiste finishes the sandwich and reaches for a third, greedy pig that he is. He eats this one at a much more humane pace, talking to Trace between mouthfuls. "Glass and I went to this place, Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, or something like that. That's where we met him. There was this guy there that Glass was seriously antsy around...I'll point him out to you if I ever see him again, Glass said he hated him and that he was seriously bad news." An important fact, this, if Glass would be so vocal about it. "Then we talked to Mule a bit, and he's going to ask around and see who needs someone to work for them. He said he'd get back to me in a couple days, so we'll see what happens, I guess."

Benjamin tears himself out of his inner contemplation, pressing a small smile forward for Ali when she speaks to him. A slight shake of the head, and he goes so far as to settle his arm lightly about her shoulders, giving a gentle squeeze. "I'm fine," he tells her softly. "Just... distracted, for a moment."

Alisynde ahs softly, and nods.

Trace nods again, just faintly. "Dunno what kinda work I'd ever be good at. Don't drive. Can't lift much. I can't lie well. I can't even jest listen without screamin' out with my body language or whatever 'oh look who's tryin' ta listen!'" He smiles ruefully. "Plus there's the whole thing about like haftin' ta be there on time and keep yer mind on yer work and have some big boss guy watchin' over ya... Dunno how well I'd do. I usually let my thoughts wander all around... stop 'n look at things when they catch my eye.. Start concentratin' on one thing and totally miss everything else goin' on..." He lifts his shoulders slightly and takes a medium sized bite of his second sandwich before murmuring, "I'll find somethin', though. Something I'm good at."

Alisynde blinks, looking a bit closer at Jean and Trace. Are they talking about real, actual /jobs/? Wow. Then she looks at Ben. Another thoughtful kind of look. "Ben? Where did you work again?" What's she thinking of?

Benjamin hmms? blinking several times. "Ah, Tulane University. I'm not sure they offer a great deal of opportunity to non-college-age people," he murmurs ruefully. The chance to speak and participate relaxes him somewhat, and he leans against Ali, each supporting the other a little.

Alisynde says, "Wellll...you've got an office there, right?"

Jean-Batiste polishes off the third sandwich and sprawls out on the floor, moving around so he's curled so Trace can lean back against his chest, one arm stretched out, cheek resting against it, the other hand absently tugging on Trace's sleeve. He closes his eyes for a minute, grinning drowsily, then says, "So we'll save up and buy a beater, and we can delivers pizzas or something. We're going to teach you how to drive, remember?" He grins a little more, and rubs Trace's arm. "You're an artist. And you'll be a famous one someday. And that's something you do -really- well."

Benjamin watches Batiste a few moments, infinitely pleased with the young man's drowsiness. That was the exact reaction he'd been hoping to achieve, and now that it's a reality, he can really relax. "Mmmhmm," he murmurs idly to Alisynde, body slouching back into the cushion with ease now. Oh wait, isn't that an odd question. "Ah... I do, but what does that have to do with the boys getting jobs?" Alisynde turns to Trace. "Trace..can you read?"

Trace turns around, flattered and flushed, before moving to curl up close to Batiste, cheek pressed to the older boy's chest. "Thank you..." he says softly. "Means a lot to me. And same for you, you're *so* good, you're magic... We'll be artists together." A little laugh. "This is all kinda weird... Didn't useta think I'd reach twenty, y'know? But it's like lately my thinkin's all different... I'm plannin' stuff out, how this'll be, what that'll be like..." Ali's question startles him out of his cuddling and he blinks and peeks up past Batiste's t-shirt and blue braids to peer up at her with pride. "Yeah. Yeah, I 'kin read... They had me in eigth grade english when I was in sixth. I useta read alla' time back home, but stopped awhile... Gonna get back into it. Ben's even loaned me a book."

Alisynde turns back to Ben. "So maybe you could talk to whoever's the head of your department, an' see if they can budget a little money - an have Trace come in and organize books, or file papers or somethin'. That can't be that hard..."

Benjamin tips his head, considering that. "Well... I don't see why not. Some sort of... something." He disconnects for a moment, running down the list of positions and jobs he knows are filled, which are open, what needs to be done and who gets payed what for... oh yes, he's in a conversation. Blink. "I will certainly ask about something, if you'd like, Trace?"

Jean-Batiste closes his eyes, soaking up the warmth Trace's body radiates, cheek pillowed on his upper arm. His bare toes twitch a little, curling into the carpet, then are still again. He gets this huge, fond, bittersweet smile as he listens to Trace, and replies softly, "Yeah. You keep thinking like that, Trace. It's what sees you through, you know? Having something to do, somewhere to go...and you'll get there. You just have to remember you can do it." He rubs Trace's back slowly, listening to Ali and Ben, his smile gentling but not any less fond. Now -there's- a job his friend could get into, perhaps. And a -safe- job, at that.

"I'd like!" Trace assures Ben with a smile, eyes shifting to the professor just briefly. "That'd be so amazing... I'd like t'work in a University. Maybe I'd learn some stuff too." But it's work to keep his neck craned like that and he soon drops his cheek back down against Batiste to enjoy the gentle backrub, his eyes falling closed. If Trace could purr, he probably would right now, but since he's not the purring sort of boy he just keeps his eyes closed and smiles faintly, and Batiste would feel the sharp bone and stringy muscle that makes up his back and shoulders relaxing contentedly at the kind touch.

Alisynde murmurs, "Thank you, Ben."

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