Shadow's Blissful Silence: Bliss walks outside, and perches up on the rail of the back porch with a bottle of rum. He can wait until Aerin's finished.

Aerin Thomas: He continues through his motions for about five minutes, singularly, 100% focused on his movements. He's dressed in a black tank-top and a rare pair of shorts, having apparently been at it for a good while, from the level of exhaustion he seems to be working himself into. After one final thrust with the staff, he holds it for a moment, then drops back into a ready position and sets the end of the staff on the ground. He looks over at Bliss, panting slightly, and nods. "Hey."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: He takes a drink of rum from the bottle and tilts his head back as he stretches. It exposes his throat, but it's very much a relaxed gesture. "Hey. Drink? It's been in the freezer."

Aerin Thomas: "Sure." He nods and makes his way over, taking the offered bottle and taking a drink from it. He hands it back. "Thanks. How're you doing?"

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "Mmmmmmmm...trying to decide what to do with our little hellcat. She presents me with issues."

Aerin Thomas: "I kind of guessed she would." He nods a little, moving to pick up his cigarettes and light one up. "She put Hauser on edge, by the way. I found that quite intriguing."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "What'd she do to Hauser?"

Aerin Thomas: "Nothing, really. I was in Central with a few other people, and Hauser was there. Kestral showed, and the fact that Kestral and I were associated had him on edge...concerned, even."

Aerin Thomas: "I don't know why...but I plan to find out."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "Ah...she is so delightful. While you're finding things out...she brought me something. Feel up to doing some breaking and entering with those mad hacking skills of yours?"

Aerin Thomas: "Always up for a little elite work." He smirks some, exhaling a drag of smoke through his nostrils. "What's the target, and what am I going after?"

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "Well...there is this dead woman I found out about, thanks to Kestral. No discernable motive to the police, and who happens to work for the Cedar Spring Academy. We're looking for...as much information on her and the staff of said academy, especially any that transferred in since last August."

Aerin Thomas: "Ahh." He nods. "This part of the whole Blackwood mess?"

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "Yeah. I'm back to working on that for Craven. I went begging for scraps of his attention. I still hate him. But...I don't think anyone else will ever be able to do what Storm can. Isn't his fault he wasn't born with her destiny."

Aerin Thomas: He nods a little, eyes shifting away to do a quick scan of the yard. "I can get in without much of a problem, I think. Schools don't normally have great security, though I'm prepared for it to be outside of the norm in that respect."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "All I know is that you know what you're doing. I'll worry about their security when I break into their building."

Aerin Thomas: "Fair enough. I'll get on it as soon as I can. What's the dead woman's name?"

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "Becky Brant."

Aerin Thomas: "Good. Easy to remember."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "Find out where she's buried?"

Aerin Thomas: "Of course." He nods. "That'll take a different entry, but quite doable."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "Thank you."

Aerin Thomas: "You're very welcome." He smiles a little. "So beyond that, how are things?"

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "Kestral kissed me. Which is not something I disliked. However, it is a peculiar position."

Aerin Thomas: "Oh?" He raises an eyebrow. "Interesting. Just out of nowhere, or...?"

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "Well, we were talking. Thing is...if I express too much interest, I fear she'll do whatever she thinks I want. And if I refuse her, I'm afraid she'll think I don't want her. Which I do."

Aerin Thomas: "Ahh." He frowns a bit, considering. "Have you talked to her about it? Expressed your dilemma?"

Shadow's Blissful Silence: He sighs and takes another drink, offering the bottle back to Aerin. "I can't ever just get a girl, huh? Always complicated. And...not yet. I'm...submitting her for evaluation."

Aerin Thomas: "Submitting her for evaluation?"

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "She's going shopping with Rei. He's going to teach her to decorate. He's kin, not Garou. He's in a better position to talk to her. At least to see how she is in some respects. Once they've talked...I'll see what he thinks. It might not be an issue. If I'm what she wants, it's okay. I just don't want...."

Aerin Thomas: She nods. "I understand. That actually sounds like a pretty decent plan."

Aerin Thomas: ((He, obviously))

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "I'd rather not lecture her about her competency to make a decision if Rei can fix this. Which...he probably can. He seems able to fix about anyone but himself." He sighs and takes another drink.

Aerin Thomas: "True enough." He takes a forward lean on the railing, looking around. "So. Ethan's back in town."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: He takes another drink and then offers the rum to Aerin again. "He can't come back," Bliss says, gently, but firmly. "Kestral is...questionable, but if she is dangerous to us, we'll handle that. Ethan...I'm sorry, Aerin. But he's a danger to us. We cannot rely on his discretion. You know that. He has none."

Aerin Thomas: "No, he can't." He shakes his head, staring off into the woods behind the house. "I've made that abundantly clear to him."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: Bliss caps the rum and sets it down on the rail so he can rest a hand on Aerin's shoulder. "I'm sorry. I am. I wish there was something more we could do."

Aerin Thomas: "Don't be." He shrugs a little. "He wants to remain a part of Tori's life, and I said he's got a shot at that...IF he can prove that he deserves it. Which means using his brain. We'll see how that goes."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: He nods, squeezing Aerin's shoulder. "Maybe he'll be okay."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: Not that Bliss believes that. He gave up on Ethan a long time ago.

Aerin Thomas: He doesn't seem to believe it either, but he nods. "Maybe. We'll see."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "I love you," he says after nothing else he can think of works in the wake of that.

Aerin Thomas: "I love you too." He looks at Bliss and smiles some. "It'll be fine. At worst, I'll have to kill him."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "I'll be there. I'll do it, if you can't. Though...better to be killed by someone who loves you, and must, than by someone who has pitied you, but never loved. Or I'd have already done it for you."

Aerin Thomas: "It's not going to be a problem, Bliss. I can do it."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "I know. But it would be unkind not to offer you the choice."

Aerin Thomas: He nods, taking a drag off the smoke, expression calm. "I know. And thank you, I do appreciate it."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: "I wish sometimes, that you could leave the killing to me. What I have done, I will never recover from. It makes no difference how many more I kill or spare. It is done, whatever it is, and there is no hope I can go back. I wish that only one of us must suffer. I hope that...I hope that between us we can spare Kelsey." He sighs and jumps down so he can nuzzle along Aerin's jaw.

Aerin Thomas: "Yeah," he agrees with a nod. "That'd be nice. But don't worry about me, Bliss. I'm no Ahimsa...when I need to kill, I can do so."

Shadow's Blissful Silence: Bliss reaches out and catches Aerin's chin, turning his head so that their eyes meet. "I know that you can. I wish that you did not have to. Whatever it costs me to bear, it costs you more. I would have spared you that, had I met you soon enough." He smiles, though all that's left in his eyes is a grim resolve. "Well, had I already learned to understand that nobility and grace are not always what they seem." He leans forward to kiss Aerin's forehead, and then turns and walks off in the direction of the woods, leaving the bottle of rum on the rail.

Aerin Thomas: He opens his mouth to answer, but nothing comes out. He watches Bliss head off into the woods, brow furrowed and a concerned look on his face, but lets him go for now. With a sigh, he takes the rum and moves to head inside after stubbing his cigarette out.