Vanessa/Callisto; Vanessa/Adrienne - Early Saturday Morning

[x-adrienne.livejournal.com]

Vanessa leaves Adrienne in her bed to go sleep in Callisto's; Adrienne tries to get to the bottom of Vanessa's sleeping habits, but is easily distracted.


Nights were not for sleeping. This was the lesson Vanessa's body and subconscious seemed to have absorbed over the past few weeks. First there were the nights on the cruise ship and in Genosha which were obvious places to be too worried about safety to sleep. Then there was prison but you couldn't really trust your cellmates. After all, they were criminals. A few blissful nights of sleep, almost entirely devoid of nightmares in fact, had followed the metamorph's return home to New York City. Until they were interrupted by Laurie freaking out. Vanessa by no means minded dropping everything and going to be there for the girl she largely thought of as her kid sister. She didn't mind knowing she wouldn't get any real sleep again until Eamon had showed up. Now that Eamon was here, though, she just wanted to sleep. Here, in her own bed where it was warm and comfortable.
 
Adrienne had been in line to not want to be alone after Laurie's time was cashed out, which was why the brunette was curled up on her side with her back pressed in against Vanessa. Only while she slept soundly Vanessa couldn't relax enough to drift off. It was frustrating, to say the least. It was also why she had very carefully slipped out of bed and padded off. The question was, to where? Terrible late night movies and infomercials were not precisely appealing. Particularly not when one was as mentally and physically exhausted as Vanessa was. Out of habit, she padded through the open space of the living room over to Callisto's door. The slender brunette appeared to be sleeping but Vanessa knew odds were decent that she had heard the blonde walk over. That made her lingering in the doorway all that much more odd, but Vanessa didn't bother to think about that. She had left Adrienne in her own bed to come here which felt a little wrong in a way, like it was rude or uncouth or disrespectful to one or both of the respective brunettes. But Callisto and her bed also felt like...like the place she could let go and sleep and be okay. Even when the nightmares came. After months of their routine this was the most Vanessa had allowed herself to stop and really think about it.
 
"Hey, you." The murmur broke into her thoughts, and she realised that the woman in the bed had opened her eyes and was now observing her, her face thrown into sharp light and shadow by the dim glow coming in through the open bedroom door. Callisto shifted up onto her elbow looking at Vanessa expectantly. Then, in a mildly amused tone. "Long time no see."
 
Vanessa rolled her eyes, a sarcastic little smirk appearing on her lips. "Obviously, I've been avoiding you. I figured while I was at it I would try on the creepy voyeur mask and see how well it fit," she said, low enough that it wouldn't wake Adrienne but that Callisto would hear her and the amused note in her voice quite easily. "You have, however, thwarted my plans with your annoying tendency to do things like wake up."
 
"Yeah, well." Callisto glanced in the direction of Vanessa's room, where she knew full-well Adrienne was currently sleeping, and then back to Vanessa. Even in the dark she seemed expectant somehow.
 
"She was next on the list for 'not doing well alone at night,'" Vanessa explained. "I'm not entirely sure if that extends to 'waking up screaming if left alone in bed' but..." She shrugged. "I couldn't sleep." That one last sentence probably said everything either of them needed to know. Because they both knew Vanessa was exhausted. They both knew how much sleep she had and had not gotten over the past week and a half. And they both knew when she couldn't sleep she always came here. Whether Vanessa wasn't already in Callisto's bed because she felt badly for leaving Adrienne or for another reason was unclear.
 
Callisto's response was only to shrug, and move back to leave some space in the bed.
 
* * * * *
 
Adrienne hadn't spent the whole night at Vanessa's District X apartment before, always taking off at some point during the night or the wee hours of the morning because she knew her friend couldn't sleep with Adrienne in the bed, and the brunette understood that. But Adrienne had actually dozed off for a couple hours last night. She woke up alone in Vanessa's bed when the sun was streaming through the barred, bulletproofed window, surprised, being such a light sleeper, that she hadn't woken when Vanessa had left. Assuming Vanessa had gone to sleep on the couch, she threw on a tank top and pair of boxer shorts she found and padded out into the main area of the suite.
 
Vanessa wasn't on the couch. Adrienne wasn't sure if she'd gone to get breakfast, but that also meant if she had gone to get breakfast Adrienne didn't know when she would have left or when she would be back. And she really wanted coffee now. They could never have too much coffee, even if Vanessa was bringing breakfast back, right? So she set herself to making coffee.
 
Breakfast wasn't on the menu just yet. Not having been able to sleep for half the night before giving up the attempt and crawling into what was a more familiar bed in a lot of ways meant that Vanessa had slept in. Granted, for her sleeping in meant not rising with the sun to go running. Nevertheless, she had slipped out of Callisto's bed and padded out into the big, open living room to find Adrienne already up. And there was Vanessa, wearing her roommate's body. Questions would come of that no doubt. The metamorph closed her eyes and took a breath to help center her focus, and let Callisto's form bleed away. The shifting of bones and muscles felt more deliberate, slower than usual, but that probably had more to do with Vanessa concentrating on the act for once.
 
When she opened her eyes they were solid red, with their characteristic faint luminescence. She was back in her own natural form, something that was getting easier to shift into from Callisto's every time she did it. However...Adrienne was looking right at her. Note to self: shift back to self before leaving bedroom next time or give up all hope of stealth. Vanessa said nothing, just rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms and went off to the bathroom hoping - and knowing it was an utterly futile hope - that Adrienne wouldn't comment or inquire.
 
Adrienne quirked an eyebrow at the entire situation, but she didn't comment. What was there to comment on? She and Vanessa were friends, they had fun together, they cared about one another, but they weren't together, and that was fine with Adrienne. "Damn, I was having visions of breakfast bagels and pastries when I woke up and you were gone," she called out. "I suppose toast and coffee will do quite well, though. You want any?"
 
Well, at least Adrienne wasn't doing the smug what-were-you-doing-in-her-bed thing. Not that she might not later on but Vanessa figured if Adrienne didn't launch into it right away there was a better chance of staving her off later on. Not to mention, Adrienne didn't quite realize that Callisto could hear everything she said...even when she wasn't raising her voice. Vanessa didn't think the other woman would care but it just wasn't something that seemed like she would want to eavesdrop on. "Bagels and pastries are had at any one of the various cafes," Vanessa called back to her friend. "And they're better than toast." She emerged from the bathroom clad in a pair of yoga pants instead of the shorts she'd been wearing moments before. "But you're going to need pants if I'm taking you out of the house. Not that the view isn't incredibly pleasant, but I suspect there's a no pants, no service policy." The metamorph's head tilted and she openly looked Adrienne up and down, though it came off more kidding than actually lustful. "Though if you want to show up in James' boxers I'm sure they will reconsider that stance."
 
"I'd have to seriously consider changing my name if they didn't reconsider," Adrienne snickered, but trotted into the bedroom to find her trousers nonetheless. "I wouldn't be a Frost anymore if I couldn't get cafes to change their wardrobe policies in my favour." The coffee was finished brewing but Adrienne left the warmer on in case Callisto wanted some when she woke up. "Okay, let's go face the world. First time I've been anywhere but Emma's, the mansion, and the Brownstone since... coming back. 'Tried to go to the shop the other day and had to bail."
 
Vanessa grabbed her keys and waited for Adrienne before opening the door for her. "You really have to get out more, cupcake. And I hope you're done enjoying the view," she said, gesturing to herself. "Because the blue is going to vanish the second I open the door." It wasn't something Adrienne had witnessed before and Vanessa just barely remembered that. It had become so second hand to her. Go to sleep, wake up blue or as Callisto. If the latter, get blue. Hang around house while blue. Open door, turn pink.  Adrienne didn't usually see her blue and therefore never saw her instant-pink trick her mutation loved playing even if it had gotten quite old by now.

"I'm... working back up to it," Adrienne assured her in regards to getting out more. She really needed to go try working in the shop again, having left directly after her conversation with Father Bowen the other day as their talk about Genosha had triggered something in her that made her run. Currently the idea of being stuck behind a counter while strangers came and went through a shop that had a high profile in the mutant community, and thus could potentially be a place where pissed off Genoshans could come and get her, made her feel like throwing up. "Huh. Instant pinkness. Why is that, y'think?" Adrienne inquired, curious. She had a theory, but wanted to know if Vanessa was trying to figure it out to try and fix the underlying issue, or just going with it.
 
Vanessa sighed and just opened the door. Her skin faded from icy blue to a slighty tanned peach tone. White bled into her red eyes and blue irises emerged while her hair darkened to a sun bleached blonde. "Because, my mutation is a very private person and doesn't believe in leaving the house without make up on. Like so many other women in the world, it has decided to be entirely vain and only allow a very small number of people see me 'naked,' as it were." It might have been just a little obvious that she was sick of that question, even though it hadn't been asked in months now.

Adrienne nodded as she thought about this. "Good analogy," she commented, bemused. She closed the door behind her. "So how long have you and Callisto...?" she trailed off, feeling like she should leave it unfinished so that Vanessa could infer her own meaning into it by filling in the blank and answering accordingly. She could have meant 'been curling up together', she could have meant 'been a couple,' or 'been having sex,' but hadn't asked specifically because she wasn't sure which one it was.
 
Vagueness was going to get Adrienne precisely nowhere today. Vanessa locked the door behind them and headed down the stairs. "Been what? Alive? Friends? Living together? Sharing the same body? Cranky old ladies? Drinking ourselves into black outs? Using one another for target practice? Picking up chicks for one another? What exactly do you think we're up to that you want a length of time for?" Okay, maybe Vanessa was enjoying making this hard for her friend. After all, since when did Adrienne not just come out and say what she as thinking?

Adrienne chuckled at some of the suggestions. "I don't think you're 'up to' anything, Hollyhock," she assured her friend gently. "That implies there's something sneaky about something, and you have nothing to be sneaky about. I just wasn't sure if you... like having her close so you can sleep because she makes you feel safe, like how you told me you can fall asleep when Garrison's with you, or,,, if there was a sexual relationship there. And I didn't want to incur your wrath by asking one thing and having it be the wrong one and inadvertantly insulting you, so I left it blank. I'm also just trying to make conversation so if you want to tell me to mind my own business that's fine, too."
 
"We're having a torrid love affair," the ex-mercenary deadpanned. "I  never thought I'd willingly do kink after some of the stuff I did as a sex worker, but I have to say Callisto's really opened my mind to it. Along with opening other things." Her tone went to full on sexual implication there. In truth, she bristled at the suggestion she only slept when other people made her feel safe as if she couldn't keep herself safe all on her own. It was even a bit offensive. But Vanessa knew Adrienne didn't mean to offend so she had brushed the comment away and focused on the important thing: fucking with Adri.
 
The brunette was fairly certain Vanessa was joking, since her friend tended to take relationships pretty seriously when she was in them. If not, her kidnapping by New Son and the whole Genosha thing had obviously messed up her friend's mind in a pretty severe way and some sort of switch had just been flipped now. She went with joking. "Good for you! Callisto's pretty damn hot. I'll have to get you some gift cards to the Pink Pussycat to celebrate. Torrid love affairs always deserve new toys."
 
Diversion: Accomplished! "We have worn out some of the current selection, so that's probably a good way to go. After all, a girl can't have too many ball gags or fist-shaped dildos!" Vanessa chirped brightly, even as her eyes scanned the sidewalk ahead, the sidewalk across the street and the various shops through their windows. As improved as she was for having been captured and not being horribly tortured or turned into a science experiment, all wounds had clearly not healed. 

"I'm going to argue that you actually can have too many fist-shaped dildos. Even assuming you put one in each orifice and that you both used them, hell even assuming you invited a few friends, there does actually have to come a point where you have more than you can use." The fact she didn't make the same argument for the ball gags wasn't lost on her, but it wasn't like this was a serious conversation. "I'd go for the outfits if I were you. One can really never have too many outfits."

"But you need  back up fist dildos," Vanessa put in, bypassing anything vaguely serious. "What if you wear one out? What if you want silicon? What if you want glass? What if you want it made out of a softer material? A harder one? One that glows in the dark? One that matches your hood piercing?" She grinned. "I'm quite partial to matching toys to the jewelry in Cal's piercings." She was reasonably sure Callisto didn't have any permanently in place piercings, but Adrienne didn't need to know that.

"There's something about the phrase 'back up fist dildos' that sounds... like an investment opportunity to me," Adrienne mused. "Also, I don't know if I've ever seen dildo-plus-matching-piercing combinations before, they may exist already, but that sounds like something you could invest in, as well. It would be like those department-store pyjamas that come with the slippers as a matching set. Maybe I could get Emma to invest in those for me since I can't invest. She owes me. When she offered to buy me a baseball-themed outfit to sleep in, I suggested she go out and sleep with an actual baseball player and steal his uniform for me, and she was disinclined. I suppose I was confusing her with you at the time, thinking she'd be more... you... about it." She figured Vanessa would totally be all over that one for her. 
 
"He'd have to be worth it," Vanessa replied casually. "I'm not getting seducing a player who is awful in bed or makes me want to chew off my own arm afterward just because you can have some second rate guy's uniform. I can do unattractive. I've done it enough before. But we're talking starting line up with great stats, right? Because if it's some bench warmer you think is cute..." She shook her head. "Not a chance in hell."

Adrienne stopped in the middle of the street, put her hands on her hips, and started a Death Glare at Vanessa, pretending to be incredibly insulted. "Second rate? Wait, I'm sorry, did you just imply that I'd be satisfyed with a second rate baseball uniform?! Hello, I'm Adrienne Lucille Frost, it's nice to meet you, since obviously we've never met and you don't know anything about me. The first thing you will learn about me as we get to know one another is that I do not do anything, nor do I have anything to do with anything, anything at all, that is second rate. Hell yeah we're talking about someone with great stats!" She waited a beat and continued on in her businesswoman voice. "Of course we may have to go outside the scope of the Red Sox to find a first rate player these days. Unless first rate players who coincidently happen to be on the DL count. Are you classifying injury recovery as bench warming in this scenario?"
 
"Depends on the injury and how they got it," Vanessa said without even thinking about it. "If he got it in an amazing play to stop the other team from scoring? Sure. If he just did something stupid that got his leg fucked up? Not so much. This is really a case-by-case basis here. Should you find someone I deem appropriate then we can talk. After all, standards change a little when you're the one looking at getting naked with the guy." She fell silent and eyed her friend. "And why aren't you procuring your own uniform?"
 
"Like that Blue Jay who missed like two months because he cut his thumb on a kitchen knife making dinner? Or the one who had arm fatigue so they shot him up with platelets and he got an infection and is out for the season?" Adrienne chuckled wickedly. "Why does everyone keep asking me that? I could get my own, but that's not as funny! I could get one in an auction or on Craigslist or something, too. But that's not funny, either. It's funnier if someone else steals it for me after seducing him! Maybe because I love baseball so much, so it's something people would expect me to do, and thus not funny to me. But if it's someone else, someone who wouldn't normally do something like that, then it's funny."
 
This was where Vanessa gave Adrienne a look that said she made absolutely no sense but that Vanessa was going to pretend she did. Because she was just that good of a friend. "Right. Yeah, of course. Shouldn't you ask someone less obvious then? Okay, maybe I'm not the obvious girl to go to for a one night stand with ulterior motives here. But I am the obvious go to girl to help you get what you want. Now, if you convinced Wanda or Amanda or Marie-Ange, then it would fit your criteria."
 
Hmm, that was a good point. "Wanda and Amanda are on the list," Adrienne shrugged, pretending like there was actually a list and that she was actually taking this seriously. "This whole thing is actually a competition to see who's better at seduction and stealing- Trenchcoats or Veronica Mars. Spies or investigator-slash-mercenary. It's like the division finals, a head-to-head battle. And the Trenchcoats already won the round with the bad guy finger," she pointed out, nodding with faux gravity.
 
That stopped Vanessa in the middle of the sidewalk. "Who gave you a finger?"

"Amanda did," Adrienne answered, surprised, "years ago. I thought you knew that? That's why I stopped asking for one. No sooner had she given it to me than LeBeau reminded me that only serial killers are interested in severed body parts, so I got rid of it."
 
"Maybe I did know and I just forgot." Vanessa shook her head as if to clear it. "And here I was just waiting to get you a special finger so it would mean something. I guess I can take that off my to do list, aye? Though I disagree with LeBeau. He is forgetting people with an intense, strange fascination with anatomy and studying it. People also collect bones, which are body parts, though not necessarily severed. I'm sure there are more people interested in body parts than there are serial killers who keep them. But it's just a theory."

"I guess he just figured I don't really want to study anatomy or collect bones, so he thought serial killer was most appropriate for me," Adrienne shrugged, smirking.
 
"I can see you as a bone collector," Vanessa remarked with casual statement of fact. "Collecting bones so you can read them to learn their histories and use them as object lessons or give ominous warnings to people who may follow in the path of the dead and repeat their errors." She paused, tilting her head to think about what she had just said. "Maybe I should have used a cryptic narrator voice when I said that. I feel that would have been much more effective. You should pretend I did."

"You always sound like that in my head," Adrienne deadpanned, shrugging as they entered the cafe.

"Clearly I have skills of which I was hardly aware." Vanessa flashed a grin at her friend. "At least I do in your head."