Out of Hiding (Kenneth)

[҉ Kenneth Lorne]

"Yeah, I suppose I could use a set of knives. They might be handy if I ever get around to number six on that To-Do List," He jabbed his thumb behind him at the poster again, "Have a barbeque. Have you ever tried teriyaki steak? I hear it's pretty good..."

Her suggestion for what they could do for the rest of the night made him laugh, and then in his low baritone of a voice he said, "I was hoping for a nice evening doing something else." It was hard to tell whether or not he was serious; he was always wearing that confident, sexy smile. It might have come off as sleazy if he weren't so happy all the time.

But before either of them could elaborate on that subject, Kenneth snapped his fingers, struck by an idea. Maybe she'd been hinting about it all along, or maybe he was smart enough to think it up by himself. Whatever it was...

"Oh! You're not staying anywhere are you? If you plan on sticking around Seattle for a while, I totally have room for one more. Might help me save up for that dream car of mine, if you help pay the rent," Kenneth's grin lit up his eyes, and you could practically see the gears working in his head, "You can help me finish my Summer To-Do list. Aside from Jon and Dorian staying over every now and then, you'd have the place to yourself when I'm at work or wherever. We can finally hang out!"

It seemed like a good idea. At least right now it did. Someone might give him a funny look if he mentioned he was sharing his house with a demon, but he wouldn't really care. She was a hot demon, and she was also his friend. And hey, with her around, he might actually get a little lucky. No, get your mind out of the gutter! Lucky as in things would go his way, like that infomercial contest.

[Ϛ Harmony and Discordia]

"This late into the summer and you haven't even had a barbecue?" said Harmony in (sort of) mock disbelief. "That's incredibly non-manly of you, Ken. I'm disappointed. I thought you were better than that." She hung her head and shook it in a manner most grave, before a sly smile crept onto her face and she looked back up. "Really though, you should get on that. And teriyaki steak is alright, I guess. Comparatively speaking." Food was never quite satisfying for the demon, no matter how well it was prepared.

She rolled her eyes, groaned, and punched Kenneth not-too-lightly in the shoulder when he hinted he'd had something else in mind, but there was a smile on her face nonetheless. "Even with a girlfriend you don't lay off, huh? What's her policy on---" you hitting on mysterious demon ladies, her mind finished, her mouth having been shut up by Kenneth's next comment.

She should have seen it coming, really, but it still caught her by surprise when he offered her a place to stay. Of course, the very first thing that came to mind was that his girlfriend might not exactly be happy about that idea, but the thought was quelled by a facade of logic. She was just a friend - like another one of the guys, except that Ken jokingly hit on her sometimes - why should Kellan care if Harmony was staying in the same house as him? She'd probably take one look at Harmony and dismiss the notion of anything happening between them immediately, if she didn't already trust Kenneth enough to do that automatically.

Somehow that thought pricked something sensitive inside Harmony, but she refused to be irrational and emotional and a girl about it. It made sense, didn't it? She needed a place to stay, Kenneth had extra rooms and could use the money, and the two could 'hang out', as Kenneth put it, all the time. It was a win-win. Right?

"I don't know, Ken; after that last comment I'm not sure I can trust you to be within a hundred yards of me while I'm sleeping," she joked, and only the most observant of people would notice the tiny hint of discomfort and the forced undertones of the words. "Really, though, I couldn't do that. I don't want to intrude on your, uh, boy stuff," she said, waving a hand at the TV, which was playing an infomercial for diamond encrusted hair scrunchies. "And..."

She seemed like she was trying to think of another reason to politely refuse the offer, but apparently she couldn't come up with anything. Her mind, it seemed, was on other things...

[҉ Kenneth Lorne]

"Well, I haven't had a barbeque because... I don't have a barbeque. The next infomercial handing out barbeques, do me a favour a call in?" He chuckled, but the thought of steak stuck to his mind, and suddenly it was all he was thinking about. However, he wasn't so distracted that he couldn't crack a sex joke.

"Comparitively speaking, huh?" He grinned, "There's only one thing I can think of that's better than steak..." he let his voice trail off though, but he waggled his eyebrows just in case his suggestive tone didn't give away what he was talking about. But he didn't linger on the topic long, because Harmony was letting his offer simmer. He rolled his eyes at her excuses.

"Ah, just do what Kellan does," He said in response to her night-worries, "sleep with a shotgun at your side." Ken attempted to make it sound like a joke, but it wasn't really that funny, when he thought about it. He wondered when the last time Harmony 'got some'. Probably yesterday, the lucky demon. He decided to ignore his own comment though and instead respond to her other lame excuse for saying no.

"Don't worry, I'll keep my boy stuff to myself," He promised, and lifted up a pair of crossed fingers, "Scout's honour."

Living with Harmony would be fun, she had to see that. What did she have to lose? Didn't this chick live forever or something? He was determined to make her time with him memorable. Kenneth Lorne was not a face to be forgotten, nor a friend that would let you ignore him for too long.

"Besides," He added at last, and Kellan would kill him for saying it, "you want me, admit it." Ken gave her the 'come hither' smouldery eyes and beckoned to her as though he was Morpheus from the Matrix. Sometimes, Ken could be impossible. As long as Harmony didn't mind his attempts to seduce her, she'd fit right in.