There is a young man sitting on the steps of Norm's house. His hair is dark and vaguely messy, ever so slightly wavy and he pushes it impatiently out of his eyes every two minutes. He has every intention of getting a haircut once finals are over and he has a chance to breath. His hair grows too fast.

Besides that, he's wearing a black peacoat, hands tucked in pockets, and watching the street with lazy interest.

Someone is dating his sister. It is his duty to show up and threaten the man with bodily harm. He's an older brother. It's his job.

It's rather an obvious ambush, as he is camping out on the man's front steps. He doesn't care. He only has one more exam, and if he studies any more he will kill something. This proves one more that cramming at the last minute is good grounds for an insanity plea on the entire school system.

Rosalli rather liked the ghost. She also thought Mortimer was an okay kid, and wouldn't mind seeing him again. Therefore, she's going to drop in and...

Oh. Hello.

She pauses, halfway up the walk, and tilts her head.

"Um, hi there, Jeremy."

What brings him here?

...god, she's gorgeous.

He has to physically shake himself to free himself from the shock of it. The shock of her.

She's perfect. She's just-

so perfect.

"Hi there," Jeremy says, with as casual a smile as he can muster. "Do you live here too?"

It's big enough to be an apartment building.

She shakes her head.

"No, actually. A few blocks away. A couple friends of mine do, though."

She smiles and starts up the path again.

"Is that why you're here, too?"

"...kinda. Guy here's dating my sister." He grins broadly. "I have showed to threaten him with bodily harm."

Jeremy is old-fashioned that way. His sister's fragile inside. She doesn't need her heart broken on top of everything.

So he's going to beat this guy up if this guy is bothering her. As long as he isn't bigger than him (a very real possibility, as Jeremy is not large). That would be tricky.

Jeremy can hope, right?

"That isn't very nice of you."

She is mock-scolding. (And more casual here than she is at work, because, after all, she is a professional.)

"You should offer to take him out for drinks or whatever."

He is skeptical! "Ehhh... do I have to?"

The bodily harm thing is really much more comfortable.

If he were a complete skeeze he'd have said something along the lines of 'I'd rather take you out for drinks'.

But she isn't that sort of girl. She wouldn't - shouldn't - be interested in a guy like him.

She's something pure. Something to revere.

He doesn't have a chance.

She isn't actually usually interested in guys at all.

"Well, you don't have to, but it'd be nicer than threatening to hurt him."

She thinks he's a bit silly.

He doesn't tend to assume girls like girls. He tends to assume everyone is of a sexual orientation that he can work with. (He's found most people bend a bit if you get alcohol into them, and really - what more do you need?)

"Threatening to hurt him," he informs her loftily, "Is a time-honored tradition."

She rolls her eyes.

"It's silly, 's what it is. Maybe your sister can take care of herself."

She can!

... granted, she hasn't run into anything too terrible, but there's always mace and screaming at the top of her lungs and maybe kicking the guy in the balls.

"My sister is an elf. I supposition that she's a very silly creature."

He's vaguely implying that his sister is completely insane. He's lying with the truth.

Sneaky boy.

She tilts her head, frowning a little.

It seems odd to come right out and say something like that, but she can go with it.

"An elf, huh? I've never met one myself, but I would be more worried for the boy than your sister."

Because everything she's ever heard about elves implies that they are very... capricious. Capricious is a good word. Yes.

He frowns at her.

"Hey. Anyone my sister chooses is going to be fine with her being an elf."

So don't talk like that.

"Which is part of the problem."

People involved in that scene aren't that... safe.

They just aren't.

(In the defense of this impression: Keye; Enrique; Bo, sometimes.)

"Oh?"

Sure, there's a lot of dangerous stuff out there.

There's a lot of stuff that isn't, too.

Hmph.

"Why's that?"

"Mm. Weirdos."

No offense, dear, he's just being a silly.

"Oh really."

What, there aren't any weirdos who are just plain human?

"I ought to be offended."

"Mmmm. Really?"

How very interesting.

Not that he's prying or anything. Oh no.

"Uh huh."

She might explain that, if asked.

Her expression dares him to ask.

"How so, pray tell?"

He is a curious kitten.

She fascinates him, and not in a sexual way. He's familiar with artificially induced lust, for obvious reasons, but this - this is different from that.

He knew she was special somehow. He knew it.

"'Cause obviously you're calling me a weirdo too."

Silly boy.

"Not everybody's bad news."

"The ones I've met have been," is all he'll say to that.

"At least. All the ones I know of."

Tell me more about yourself. Help me understand you. Please.

Please, Rosalli.

"Well, I'm not."

She folds her arms, mock-stern.

"And the ghost who owns this place isn't."

Headtilt.

"How many do you know?"

"Incubus. Part-incubus. He can do this glowy light thing. Random violence dude. Sister."

He ponders, frowning thoughtfully.

"'at's it, really."

"Well, jeez, no wonder. Everybody you know is either a demon or almost as unpredictable."

Now, dear, let's not point fingers.

Dryads are known for being flighty, you know.

"Sheesh."

She doesn't swear much.

"Well. Duh."

And this is why he thinks it's all a dangerous thing his little sister should be shielded from!

His logic is flawless!

"Like I said, I'm not any of those."

Clearly, he's innish.

"Mom's a dryad, Dad's human."

Shrug.

"And I know a couple ghosts, too."

"Huh."

He snaps his fingers.

"No wonder Keye called you a rose."

He has a memory for these things.

It all makes sense now!

Yay, sense.

"... he did?"

Frown.

"It did kinda come up."

He was peeking. It was rude.

"Yeah. I said you reminded me of a plant and he said it was probably a rose and yeah."

It makes more sense in retrospect.

"Oh."

She comes and sits down on the steps, a couple down from where he is.

"Yeah. Mom's basically the spirit of an entire garden. Or something like that - she's the only dryad in the garden at the house, and if anything happens to the roses, she gets really sick."

"Wow. I wish I could say my heritage was that interesting."

He really can't. (Well, he can, but that's not for him to know.)

"It's only interesting if it isn't you. She's freaky protective and worries about me ever leaving the city."

It is frustrating.

"I'm only half, it's not like I'm tied to a certain rosebush or anything."

Hmph.

"Ever gone away for a weekend? To check?"

It's interesting on the intellectual level, yesyes.

"Nope. I'm not allowed. I'm barely allowed to leave the house - that's why I work at Reed's, mostly. Just to get away."

She makes a face.

"I swear, it's like she thinks I'm one of the new little buds and the next frost will kill me."

"You ever want to run away, you look me up?"

He's very in favor being helpful to pretty girls, even if the offer is made jokingly.

"Heh. How do I know you won't carry me off and ravish me?"

She is also joking.

(Although it is one of her mother's many paranoias.)

"I've got enough romantic nonsense. Not that you aren't gorgeous."

He just doesn't need the complications.

A back-handed compliment if ever there was one.

"What kind of romantic nonsense?"

She is nosy!

"Fiancee and boyfriend."

See? He means it when he says it!

"Jeez."

Oh, now she thinks he's a bit of a slut.

"Which one are you cheating on?"