(D4) [DYH] Breakfast At Tamika's

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

Time: Day 4, Early Morning
Weather: Cloudy
Warnings: Lingerie
Characters: Brad, Tamika, Polly, York, Charlotte [Open]

Doctor Bradley Karrde Smith peered out the window of his hotel room. Still cloudy. Looks even worse than yesterday. Probably start raining soon. He had gotten plenty of rest from the night before and it was just about breakfast time. Since he was to meet Tamika anyways, only makes sense to try to meet her for food. Besides, she's right down the hall. That said, he gathered his worn-looking black leather jacket and walked out into the hall.

A few doors down from his room he stopped and rechecked the number. That's the one written in the ledger alright. A quick check of his watch made sure it wasn't too early. 8 AM. She should be up by now. And with that, he knocked on the hotel room door.

[Tamika Weir]

Tamika moaned as she woke up to someone knocking on her door. "Why can't anyone let me sleep?" After she had gotten home from driving Atlas home, she tried to sleep but ended up just staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours. After a long time, she finally bored herself into sleeping. And now after what felt like five minutes, someone had come to bug her.

"Must be Polly. I wonder what the hell is so important she had to wake me up at..." Tamika glanced at the clock. "OH FUCK! IT'S 8 ALREADY?!?" Tamika had planned to wake up early so she could get Atlas to the graveyard before Brad got bored and just decided to talk to Brian alone. Tamika practically fell out of bed and grabbed and cheap plastic comb from her bag and tried in vain to fix her hair. Then when someone knocked on the door again, she remembered what had woke her up.

Running over to the door, she wrenched it open and blinked at the light of the much more brightly lit hallway. What whoever had opened the door would see was a very sleepy Tamika wearing a grey and white long sleeve shirt with 'I <3 Chicago' written on the front and a pair of light blue shorts. The heart on the shirt had a frowny face drawn on it with a permanent marker. The shirt itself also had numerous faded red stains all over it. Tamika's red hair was very messy with a cheap black plastic comb stuck in it. A rather large painful looking bruise was on her left cheek.

"Yes? What?" Tamika asked, sounding confused and still blinking, trying in vain to figure out who the tall figure was in front of her. "Way too tall to be Polly. Though whoever it is looks familiar. Damn light! If it wasn't so bright I might actually be able to see.

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

Brad looked over the young woman standing in front of him. When she isn't buried in a jacket and full length boots, she actually has a really nice figure. "Now there's a face I wouldn't mind seeing each morning." Brad said with a clear smirk.

"Wanna grab some break...what happened to your face???" he asked as he pointed towards her cheek. "Atticus better not have been behind that, or so help me he'll pay! I don't care if he was drunk last night or not!"

[Tamika Weir]

"Brad?...How the hell did he find my room?" At his remark, she sort of tiredly rolled her eyes. "Ha ha, yes I know my face looks like shit. You don't need to rub it in." Then when he pointed at her cheek, she blinked confused. "Was he not talking about the bruise before? Than what was he getting at?" Yet she didn't spend much time wondering about this as she hurriedly explained, "No, no, no! Atlas didn't hit me! It was the shadows! We ran into them and one of them got me with a pipe! That's all!"

Then Tamika backed up slightly into her room. "I should probably get dressed first." She then smiled and pulled the comb out of her hair. Then she went back to her bag and began throwing random items of clothing out, trying to find something to wear. "Ugh, I REALLY need to go clothes shopping at some point."

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

"The shadows?? They use weapons???" Brad asked, stepping into the room after her. "And where did you run into them at?"

He continued to watch as Tamika started rummaging through a bag of hers, tossing pieces of clothing out. A crumpled garment landed at his feet. Picking it up, he stretched it out. "Victoria's Secret." he stated, while giving a small wolf whistle. He tossed the lacy undergarment back over near the bag. "Well, are you alright? I was about to ask if you wanted to grab breakfast?"

[Tamika Weir]

Tamika finally pulled a white and black tee and a pair of jeans out of the pile and began stuffing the rest back in the bag. "Yes, yes, and outside the SWERY65 last night while I was taking Atlas home."

As the lacy garment hit the floor she stared at it for a bit. She honestly could not remember buying it. Not knowing what else to do with it, she stuffed it quickly with everything else in the bag. Then she grabbed her selected clothes, her comb, and her jacket and faced Brad. Smiling she said, "Yeah Brad, I'm fine. It takes a lot more than one bruise to take me down. And breakfast sounds great. Especially with some coffee."

Then she headed over toward the bathroom and added, "But first I'm going to get dressed and see if I can get this red fuzz ball in some order." Smiling one last time, she headed into the bathroom and shut the door.

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

"I happen to like the red fuzz ball." he stated to Tamika as she shut the bathroom door. Outside, Brad waited patiently. He listened as a shower started. A few moments later, he could hear the sound of singing. Through the door, it sounded muffled so he couldn't figure out what she was singing, but he could imagine. In his mind, he saw the woman singing the soft tune under the streaming water. If last night's singing was any indication, it was a beautiful sound. And so he sat, listening, and waiting.

[Tamika Weir]

Tamika stripped in the bathroom, rolling her eyes at his comment about her red fuzz ball hair. Looking at the mirror after she got her shirt and shorts off, she scowled at her hair in the mirror. "One of these days hair, I'm going to get you to be a nice ball of fuzz." After she finished stripping, Tamika turned on the shower and relaxed as the water poured on her.

After a few seconds, she started singing. She didn't sing one song in particular, just kept switching after singing a few lyrics. While she sang, her mind wondered where the lacy underwear had come from. She never liked buying frivolous things like that, mainly getting by by getting everything from dollar stores and Goodwills. So how did something from Victoria's Secret find its way into her stuff?

Then her eyes widened as she realized where they might have come from

Tamika stood silently in front of a much taller man. The taller man smiled down at her with a cruel smile, sizing her up constantly. Tamika just stared calmly up at him with her cool grey eyes. After a a few moments, the taller man said, "I've got something new for you to do Liz."

Tamika's eyes narrowed. She hated it when he called her Liz. His smile widened, obviously noticing and continued, "Mike Gumshoe been getting on my nerves. I want you to go and murder him."

Her eyes then widened. "That's not part of our deal. You just wanted me to do minor jobs for a year. Murder's not minor." Then she bit her lip. She knew that was a mistake.

"Oh really?" The taller man glanced at someone behind her. Tamika tried to turn, but someone hit her hard in the center of her back, causing her to fall over. The taller man chuckled, bent over, and picked up Tamika by her hair.

"You know, there are other things I could have you do, if murder's out of the question." Then he kissed her hard on her mouth. Tamika clenched her fists, yet didn't do anything. He was her only chance at getting a normal life again, disgusting though he may. If she fucked this up, there would be nowhere else for her to go. And he'd probably kill her. Eventually he pulled away from her, smiled and said in a false sweet voice, "Your choice Liz."

"He'll be dead by tomorrow," Tamika said without hesitation. Then he dropped her and she ran away, listening to him laugh at her all the while.

Tamika stopped singing mid-word and stumbled backward. "That son of a bitch must have bought me that and slipped it with my stuff. Ugh, how did I not notice it all this time?" Then she turned off the shower, headed over to the sink and spat in it, her mouth remembering exactly how that damn kiss tasted.

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

The sudden stop in the song caught Brad's attention as he patiently waited. That's not the type of vocal stop I'd expect when someone ends their shower... The sound the followed made even less sense to the man of logic. Sounds like she's spitting quite alot. The puzzle grew more in his mind.

He replayed that morning's events trying to piece together why she would suddenly stop singing as abruptly as she had. There was the bruise, obviously. But nothing else seems odd. She was smiling quite a bit and didn't seem to take...note...of... It struck Brad then. With his photographic memory, he could see the look on Tamika's face when she had stared down at the undergarments he'd tossed back to her. There was something there that he couldn't put his finger on.

He walked over to the bathroom door and knocked quietly. Behind the frosted glass, Brad could make out the flesh-colored silhouette of Tamika over standing over the sink. Whatever was happening, she hadn't even donned a towel before rushing over the sing. "Tamika, are you okay in there? What's wrong?" he asked. "I apologize for the whistle earlier. I didn't take you as the type to own such overtly sexy articles. I mean not that what you wear doesn't look sexy...err...I mean I didn't think you'd wear something like that. But I mean you could, if you wanted to, don't get me wrong! Crap! Look, I'm just wondering if you're okay?" Way to go, Einstein.

[Tamika Weir]

She turned toward the door as she heard someone knock on it. "Oh shit! I forgot about Brad!" "I'm fine," Tamika said back hurriedly. Most of what he said had confused her, but he obviously was mainly concerned about why she suddenly went over to the sink. "Though what exactly was he talking about?"

"The whistle didn't really bother me. I just..." "Come on! Think of an excuse!" "...swallowed some shampoo." Tamika almost facepalmed at how stupid that sounded. "Accidentally, of course. I was just spitting it out. But I'm fine now. Really." "Though I really need some black coffee now. My mouth tastes like crap."

Deciding that she'd showered for long enough, she turned off the water and dried herself off with a towel. After she put her clothes on, she stepped out of the bathroom. "Sorry for worrying you again," she told Brad. Then she slipped on her boots and headed towards the door. "Alright, now I need coffee. Come on Brad." She looked back at him and then her eyes slid toward her bag. A bit of lacy fabric stuck out from it and Tamika's eyes narrowed a little. "I'll deal with you later." Then she turned and headed out of the room, waiting outside the door for Brad to follow.

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

Swallowed...some...shampoo? Even the thought behind baffled Brad. "Okay, just checking." he said, then returned to where he was sitting. A few minutes later, Tamika emerged fully dressed, red fuzzball in check, or at least drowned into submission. Brad followed her out of the room, then walked with her down the hall towards the dining area. Having been taught to always try to be a gentleman, Brad held the door open for Tamika as they both entered the dining room.

[Polly]

Polly was making another batch of eggs in the kitchen. It had been a long time since so many people had stayed at the hotel, certainly, but even back in the good old days she couldn't remember people putting food away like these guests did. She supposed it was just her memory, but still. She decided to put on another pot of coffee while she was up. They were certainly going through that, too.

She turned around as the dining room doors opened. She left the kitchen for a minute--the eggs wouldn't burn just yet--to see who it was.

She was surprised to see her friend Tamika in the company of a very friendly Dr. Smith. That was three men Tamika had accompanied in the last three days. That Brian the Gatemaster, Kevin Ashcroft, and now Dr. Smith. And she had heard around town that she was getting friendly with that lawyer fellow that had come for breakfast yesterday. Polly wondered briefly how many of her guests' rooms had actually been slept in last night (she'd certainly find out when she went to clean the rooms, although she thought she might offer Tamika the chance to clean her own, just for privacy's sake) and dismissed the thoughts from her mind.

She smiled and made her way over. "What can I get you folks? We have eggs, scrambled and fried, sausage, and of course coffee and tea."

[Tamika Weir]

Tamika headed into the dining room, saying a quick "Thanks" to Brad as she went in. "Alright, I need coffee damnit! Now where's that machine again?" As Tamika walked a bit farther into the room, Polly came out of the kitchen. Tamika turned to the older woman and said kindly, "Good morning Polly. I'll have some scrambled eggs and some black coffee, though I'll get the coffee myself." While she was talking, she noticed Polly was looking at her a bit strangely. "What's up with....oh." Tamika then remembered how Polly had reacted when she had seen her with Kevin yesterday.

Tamika rolled her eyes and walked over to Polly and told her in what she hoped was a quiet voice (though it came out a bit louder than she intended) "Polly, I'm just going to tell you this once. I'm SINGLE! He's not my boyfriend. Neither are Kevin, Atlas, and most certainly not Brian. Okay?" She wasn't sure why she had included Atlas in that list. "Eh, she saw me having breakfast with him and APPARENTLY anyone male I'm seen with is now my boyfriend." Then giving the older woman one last annoyed/tired look, Tamika headed over to the coffee machine.

[Polly]

Polly was quite stunned at Tamika's outburst. Her face flushed as she realized just what had happened. She deserved the rebuke, of course. Her imagination had definitely gotten the better of her this time. Well. There was only one thing to do, wasn't there.

She followed Tamika over to the coffee machine, ignoring curious looks from nearby tables. When they had a little bit of privacy from the diners, she put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Tamika? I'm afraid I owe you a very large apology," she said quietly, her face still red. "Sometimes I jump to conclusions much too early, and go much too far. Your behavior has been perfectly fine, and I hope you'll continue to work for me. You've done a very good job these past few days, and I appreciate it very much. I'd...well, I'd also like to think of you as a friend, even though I haven't been much of one myself. I promise to do better. Forgive me?" she asked, holding out her hand.

"Oh, I know this isn't much of an explanation, but, well, there hasn't been much tourist or business traffic in the hotel these last few years, and I think you can imagine the sorts of people we have gotten in here. I suppose it was just habit, in a way.

"Oh dear! The eggs!" Polly scuttled over to where the eggs were frying themselves a little too much. She took them out of the pan and put them onto the plate next to her, fretting. She looked over at Tamika again. "I'm afraid it's been...quite the morning. Oh, I've been meaning to ask, how are you feeling since yesterday? I know you've had a rough time."

[Tamika Weir]

"Aw, it's alright. I shouldn't have freaked out so much about it anyway. I just had a bit of a stressful night, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. And I consider you a friend too Polly." Tamika then shook Polly's hand smiling. Then Polly ran off to go save the eggs from burning. As the elderly woman disappeared into the kitchen, Tamika took a sip of her coffee and glanced back at the door where she had accidentally left Brad. "I really need to stop forgetting about him. He's been so nice to me and I keep forgetting about him." She was about to head back over when Polly reemerged from the kitchen. Tamika then took some eggs for herself while answering Polly.

"Oh, well last night was a bit stressful, but there were some good bits. Like Brad over there hired me yesterday. But I'll still try to help around here of course. And...I had some fun singing karaoke at the SWERY65 last night. And I made some friends..." Tamika trailed off after that. She wasn't used to telling people about how she was.

"Um, anyway, I think Brad's probably feeling a bit alone over there," Tamika said pointing at Brad. She then made her way past Polly, taking her coffee and eggs with you, and headed back over to Brad. "Sorry for leaving you all alone here. I'm going to go grab a table. Polly left the eggs over there, though they're a little burned." Tamika then headed over to an empty table and began eating her slightly burned eggs.