Aalakrys

Shadows [Zitacamron95 and Faded Memory

Alrighty, that sounds good. Let's see. I think the idea my guy of being a private detective. Perhaps he was initially sent in to investigate. Maybe someone he knew went missing after being there? So, his motives are a little personal. Since your character would be a recluse, mine would have to be the enthusiastic one - or perhaps just annoyingly persistent. :P

Shadows [Zitacamron95 and Faded Memory

Out of habit, Jude analyzed the features of who he was talking with when Aiden glanced up at him by scanning his face quickly. He was as he had been last night, obviously exhausted. The dark circles under his eyes were a clear indicator of that, not to mention the slouch to his shoulders as he hovered over the table from the chair he'd all but seemingly collapsed into. At least he mustered a smile, Jude thought as Aiden replied to his question. At first, Jude thought that the "she" Aiden mentioned may have been a romantic interest, as most people would, but he'd said the pronoun fondly, but off-handedly. The 'she' must've been the approaching female who placed the tray down, her attention fully on her friend. Jude smiled to her as she noticed his presence, but he had no time to introduce himself as she began to interrogate in only the way that a close friend could do. Her words made Jude quirk his eyebrow, amused. When she directed her attention informally to Jude, he said, "I appreciate the offer." As he spoke, he loosely hung the sweater over the back of the free chair in front of him. "I'll be right back." With that, he turned to go make his own lunch selection.

Shadows [Zitacamron95 and Faded Memory

Woohoo! I have one week left of work as well, plus maybe doing a side job at my apartment complex's office, but I'll be free for the most part. Dragon Age: Inquisition has taken most of my soul away, but I will check in. Hehe. And, yes! I'd love to do that RP. Would you want to be the bookstore owner or the one who ends up working there?

The Mysterious Bookstore [MxM]

So, I actually really like this plot - but we're already doing another roleplay. I'm game to do two since I don't have any others going on atm, but understand if you want varied partners. :D

Shadows [Zitacamron95 and Faded Memory

click me for inspiration

Alrighty! I'll add on a tiny bit to my post.

Shadows [Zitacamron95 and Faded Memory

Ooh, I gotcha. My boyfriend is the same way with how he handles stress, which creates more stress. Just know there is a nice vacation coming up, and you'll get through it alright. College was like that for everyone, especially near senior year. Of course, the reasons vary. But, you'll make it. :D It's a good thing to care about your parents and their situations, but I guess also keep in mind that they're adults and have been handling their problems for a long while. That's what I have to tell myself about my mom, because I was the same way - caring way too much becomes debilitating. Not saying that's your problem or trying to give you that non-partial, over-involved stranger advice. I've just been there and even though I know just hearing wouldn't really fix it, it would've been good to know someone else went through the same thing. Anxiety makes people tend to feel alone, when really lots of people understand but just don't know what's going on in each others' heads so they don't pick up on it.

Anywho, I'll do that - would you like for him to be in line to get food or sitting down? Do you want his friend with him or moved off temporarily - as in, going to sit while Aiden is still in line?

Shadows [Zitacamron95 and Faded Memory

I'm sorry to hear that about your mom! That's terrible - especially right near Thanksgiving. I hope things look up for her soon. You as well - just remember to breathe, no matter how hard it seems. Don't worry about forcing a response either - I'm no stranger to stress, so I get needing time. I'll just hear from you when you get back together.

((That post was really long, but they'll see each other soon so you don't have to go all super long. I was actually going to have Jude spot Aiden, but you left off in the elevator - so I figured we'll wait one more post. :D))

Shadows [Zitacamron95 and Faded Memory

Moments before Jude had arrived on his floor, he stood in the silent elevator with loosely crossed arms, contemplating if Monasia would let his team know he had come into the hospital today. If she was feeling spiteful, he wouldn't doubt it - but he'd done her a kindness this morning, bypassing their usual exchange of teasing remarks and scowls, knowing full well that would let him off the hook possibly. They had a secret sort of code between them and were actually friends in a way - despite how the outside appearance was last night in front of Aiden, or anyone who didn't see them together regularly.

However, Jude could never help himself from assisting on procedures if it was desperately required, so he didn't mind if they knew he was at the hospital on his downtime. He didn't hide his presence from his team, and they rarely asked him to step in. It was the non-stop checking-in, advice-seeking, and permission-asking that kept him off-task and usually getting next to nothing done. The open door policy he had with his team was always withstanding. His door was never shut when he was in, off the clock or assigned hours.

He turned the handle to his office, having used his clearance card to get inside the surgical wing as by second nature, and dropped the bag of belongings into one of the leather armchairs across from his desk. Behind his desk there was only a bookshelf, but one so large that it took up the entire wall. As required by the hospital director, his certification and diplomas hung to the bare wooden wall and awards on to top of the bookshelf collecting dust, the daylight shining off each from the wall-length glass panes lining the opposite side. His desk faced the door, and the antique wardrobe next to it. All of the chiefs had their own personal touches to their offices aside from the clothes, files, and books housed in the furniture provided. Jude only had one. To the other space next to the door, there was a four tier plant stand filled with herbs at the top and going down to larger ferns. Flowers of various types were mixed in the center shelves.

He spent a moment checking over the plants before strolling back to the bag, files lightly dropped on the corner of his desk in exchange. He picked up the sweater off top of the bag gently and decided to keep to his original plan since all was well in his office. Just as Jude reached his door, he was halted by a colleague. All slim five-foot eleven of the most beautiful of the surgical chiefs stood leaning against the frame with her arms folded, smirking. She tossed her wavy red hair slightly as she shifted to stand, "Dr. Maxwell, I heard you had a great victory yesterday."

"I'm already a legend in the neuro wing, I take it," He returns her smirk. "Especially since the chief Dr. Carlisle came all the way to my office to greet me."

"I was passing," She says nonchalantly as she gazes to the plants. "Don't be too flattered."

"And I thought you were here to invite me to a victory lunch," He passes false disappointment before smiling. Her easy confidence sways as she laughs, a hand to her lips, before she drops it. Before she can linger, he smoothly adds in, "I've selected my fellows. How is the process going for you?"

"Oh, dear, I can't be one-uped by trauma," She sighs, signaling to him that she'll have to get on that in her furrowed brow. "Are you announcing today?"

"My plan was to do so after lunch," He smiled, enjoying her little squirm at the news. Although the chiefs were all professional towards one another, and friendly at times, they loved secretly loved competition. "The deadline is for tonight, Doctor. I'm disappointed at your delay."

"Oh? I see the files on your desk behind you," She regained her composure and wagged a finger at him. "You only just finished this morning, I bet."

He raised his hands in a silent non-committed gesture, the sweater resting in the nook of his elbow. She spotted the out of place article of clothing and reached out to tug it lightly. "What's this? You've got a jacket on."

"I've got to return it to a lab technician," He looked down at her hand on the cotton sleeve and she removed it. "I was called in during warmer weather, and when the shift ended, I realized my bag with extra clothing was at home. Lucky for me, I wasn't the only one leaving late."

"And the lab tech had an extra sweater?" She eyed him dubiously. He smirked and she laughed again in the same manner as before. "Of course not - look at you. I'd give you my only sweater, too."

His look told her not to get any ideas, but she still smiled on behind her hand with raised eyebrows. "I'll let you get to returning that then. She'd better be cute."

Before Jude could comment, Dr. Carlisle turned on her heel and left with a smirk lingering on her lips. He looked back down at the sweater, absently touching where his colleague's fingers hand been just a moment ago. Truthfully, relationships beyond the surface did not happen with him since college. Those kinds of thoughts never really crossed his mind, especially since work kept him so occupied. He supposed it was the same for all the single doctors, especially since their status was displayed openly on their hands while not in surgery. It was the first thing the upper doctors commented on, and the nurses constantly gossiped about - marriage and dating. He always brushed that off as a distraction from all the negative sides of working at a hospital. And, being single himself, he enjoyed the light-hearted game of teasing and flirting. However, they all knew that was as far as he'd go. Which, of course, led to more gossip. Being a chief though, he got to pretend he didn't know about it because his status let them all know they couldn't treat him any differently no matter what assumptions they had.

Clearing his mind of the negative thoughts, he dropped his hand and closed his office door behind himself. The elevator ride to the laboratory was not terribly long. Upon arrival, he greeted a few people he'd recognized and chatted lightly. When he inquired about Aiden, he got a quizzical look until an eavesdropper chimed in that he heard another tech named Annie had taken him out to lunch. Thanking the noisy individual, Jude left after bidding his acquaintances farewell. The cafeteria was convenient since he was actually feeling a little hungry. He had only been half joking about the victory meal with Dr. Carlisle, after all.

Upon arriving to the mess hall, he looked around through the half-filled atrium setting in search of the sweater's owner as it hung loosely in the crook of his elbow. Various ferns and small potted trees decorated the dining area, concealing some seating from view. Aiden seemed like the type that would sit in just one of those places, so Jude repositioned himself for a better view of those locations. He saw the kid, looking tired and sitting alone at a table in the shade. Sun beamed against the glass ceiling, intensified by the ice coating the panes, but creating more of a glow instead of direct light thanks to it. Little rays peeked through the small patches that began to melt though, so the light danced around the room in some places. Of course the fidgety lab tech shied away from light areas, Jude thought as he approached - winding through the scattered tables and pushed out chairs. He came up from the side, where the kid would not have seen him approaching without turning, unintentionally. He said in his cheerful tones, "There you are, hiding in the shadows." As he said this, he'd placed his hand along the back of Aiden's chair to slide into view at his side. The spacing was narrow, even for Jude's slender frame, but he smiled down at him. "Your coworkers said you were eating lunch. I see you like your food as much as you do coffee." He was referring to the fact that there was nothing on the table, his smile showing he was joking as he immediately followed it up with a question. "Eating with a friend, then?"

Shadows [Zitacamron95 and Faded Memory

Yay, I'm so excited you came back. I thought you'd given up on this one. :P I'll be posting a reply tomorrow - I want to do it now, but boyfriend is dragging me away to watch a football game at his friend's house. ... yay ... :P

Shadows [Zitacamron95 and Faded Memory

As soon as the large glass double doors parted at their approach, the wind whipped harshly - fluttering the loose edges of the papers carried by Dr. Maxwell. Instictively, his body tensed at the bitter cold as his arm curled the files inward for protection. He tucked his free hand in his pocket, feeling the keys there but also thankful for the warmth. His car had not been parked so far beyond Aiden's, so he conciously decided to walk down a different aisle as to not make the slightly younger male feel followed.

Wind howled all through the parking deck, finding gaps to weave between and blast poor pedestrians with its chilly gusts. Upon approaching his car, unlocking it with the key fob from inside his pocket before removing his hand and using the sleeve of the borrowed jacket as a barrier between his flesh and the ice cold metal of the door handle, he swiftly slid behind the driver seat and enjoyed the warmth of his already started car. He loved auto-ignition in times like these, he thought as he relaxed against the thermal seat and soaked in the heat to melt away the chill that had already entered his bones.

When he lifted himself from the headrest, he noticed that the lab technician's car hadn't moved. Perhaps Aiden had been waiting on it to warm as some people do, or he was enjoying the heat as Jude was currently doing. Whichever, he was too far away to distinctively see anything aside from the front fender. A rather large SUV had been on the side, blocking the rest of the view. Briefly, Jude wondered if Aiden's car wasn't starting because of the cold. Sometimes batteries die in cold weather if left to sit too long. Just as the thought crossed his mind though, he saw the headlights come on before the car sped off.

"The cold must've woken him up with driving like that," Jude smirked to himself as he shifted to drive himself. Home was on the other side of town for him in a nice, rather spacious loft-style apartment. Arriving home with no complications, luckily considering the way traffic could react to sudden cold weather, he relaxed against his sofa with a hot cup of tea after a hot shower. The rest of the nice was a not-so-exciting review of files while listening to light music and warming himself with the electronic fire heater mounted against the wall near his tired frame. He eventually dozed off where he lie, file to his chest and tea on the glass coffee table.

---

The timer on the television clicked on promptly at 8:00 am, broadcasting the local news loudly enough to cause Jude to stir from his deep sleep. He peered up at the flatscreen, morning sunlight glinting off of the corner from the single wall-long casement bay windows. Fatigue must've made him forget to close the blinds last night, he thought just as he felt a sudden weight on his chest. He looked down to see his orange tabby staring up at him from its already planted position on his chest. "You want food, eh?" He asked Davender as he scratched the feline's chin. "That's all you want me for - you can't fool me. Where were you last night, anyway? Curled under my down comforter, I bet."

The cat simply closed his eyes as he began to purr under his owner's affections. Jude glanced back at the television as a reporter stood in front of the First National Bank in full winter attire - clothes making her look like a massive marshmallow bound at the waist. He took in a breath and lifted himself from the couch, Davender pouncing off instinctivly and running towards his food bowl.

Jude did his usual morning routine - ate breakfast, brushed his teeth, exercised in his mini-home gym, showered, played with Davender, and cleaned up around the apartment a little. Really, there was nothing to clean as he was hardly home to mess things up. By lunch time, he was collecting the files on the fellows that he'd left discarded on the coffee table all morning and giving them a second go as he ate a sandwich wrap. Davender came to rest in his lap for a while, which Jude credited to his body heat and not the love the cat had for him. His apartment was all tile, wood, leather, and stone. There was not many places where the cat could curl up to soak in heat. Regardless, Jude smiled down at his pet momentarily before returning to work.

After finishing weeding out fellows, Jude organized the files and went to pack his dufflebag. Usually he had a bag he kept at the hospital, but he'd been called in for his last shift and didn't have time. This time though, he packed well. His plan was to take the bag and leave it in his office since he had to return to files today anyway. Plus, he always liked being present when they announced the 'winner' of the evaluation. Due to the size of the hospital, and his department, he got to pick two attendings as a lot of trauma ward surgeons move to less stressful specialties.

---

Upon arriving at the hospital with his bag on his shoulder and files in his free arm, coffee dangling from the other hand, he signs in with Monasia - who gives him a don't-you-dare-ask-me-about-my-night look at his beaming smile. He bids her farewell and goes to drop off his bag in his office. Once he's inside the elevator and his floor has been pressed, he glances down at the sweater hanging over his bag. He'd washed it this morning, knowing that most people wash clothes before returning them. "Hmm ... after I put my things down, I suppose I'll go return you before I submit my review."