A Touch of Magic (attn TatlTails)

"Honestly, I think it was less to do with the magic, and more the fact that someone stole her baby." Callie shook her head, eyes slipping shut for just a moment as she let out a long sigh. No need for that. The arm of the vampire was heavy on her shoulders. It was comforting, which surprised her. Callie hadn't expected a hug from a vampire to feel quite so safe. She felt some cogs and gears start working together at that thought, at realising she wasn't scared of a vampire. She had no reason to be. She was one of them. She glanced up at Clarisse briefly. In more ways than one, it seemed.
Eternally glad that Madi had merely nodded, hadn't pushed the idea, Callie nodded back. "Ok."
Leo looked like he wanted to say something, but Callie put her plate down and scrubbed a hand over her face. "Ok. Thank you. Sorry I'm a bit, you know. Is it alright if I go to bed now? Sorry if I kept you up."
 
"G-go ahead." Madi did not hesitate to let Callie know, shaking her head with the same air as her nod. She was also trying not to look or sound too relieved, because like heck would she be that much of a jerk to a newbie. Tired or not.

"I'll take you up, if you're cool with it." Clarisse offered, sliding her arm off of Callie's shoulders and getting out of her seat. While she waited for the changeling to be cool to go, she stretched out a bit and continued talking. "I'll be up anyway, so I can make sure you got everything you need before ya pass out."
 
Leo glanced over at Madi, who looked ready to drop as soon as Callie was out of the room. He took the remains of the eggs and started eating them. "Can I stay the night too?" he asked. It was rare that he hung around very long, but he didn't have work tomorrow, and he wanted to see Callie settled in a bit before he left. He suspected it might be good for her to have at least something familiar, and a dicky reporter was a good stand in for that.

Callie stood up, and the weight of her exhaustion crashed down onto her. Feeling it drag down her face, she scrubbed her hand over it again so she could make it up the stairs. She looked around for her things before remembering she didn't have any. "Thanks again. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Is there anything you need me to do, or need me to be up by or anything?" Her phone was dead so she didn't have an alarm anyway, but it was still polite to ask.
Clarisse stood up with her, pretty chipper considering the time of night. Then again, she did say she was pretty much nocturnal. This was probably only to be expected. As they headed for some stairs, Callie glanced up at her. "Do you need company at night? You've got stuff to do or people to see or something?"
 
Madi's facade indeed began to crumble as soon as Callie was out of sight, the witch barely managing one last shake of the head to assuade the equally-weary girl's worries about when to wake up. She barely had enough energy left to deal with Leo by the time they were alone, and she was not afraid to let it show. Especially when he requested to stay the night, as if they could fit a whole entire extra guest in at the last second! No. Not gonna happen, not tonight.

"You're t-taking the c-couch."

Meanwhile, Clarisse made sure Callie didn't collapse or trip over her own feet while they walked upstairs, but otherwise tried not to invade her space too much. She perked up at questions though, even looking a little touched when Callie so quickly expressed concern for her. "Aw thanks dude! But nah, I'm usually good. I'll go for runs or read or shit durin' the part'a the night where everyone's asleep, but there's early risers an' night owls all over this joint. Just wait 'til you meet Luke, he's always up at fuckin' dawn. He'll talk my ear off 'til I get too tired to deal anymore an' finally go to bed. An' some nights Jacqueline'll be singing for half the night an' I'll just hang out with her. Or Madi'll be up doin' moon magic or whatever an' I'll annoy the shit outta Dagger if she doesn't need him. So yeah, it ain't too lonely most'a the time. Once we figure out your schedule I'll figure out somethin' to do with you, too. But for now, sleep."

She punctuated that sentence by opening up a door at the far end of the upstairs hall. The room inside was cozy, and just airy enough to not feel stifling. Flowy curtains over a single window, neutral colors in the decor, a couple drawers, and a cozy bed right in the middle. Clarisse gestured to the bed with a sweeping arm, and declared "Go on, it's all yours! Get settled in, tell me if ya need anything, then sleep as long as you need."
 
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Leo grinned, picking up his half a plate of toast. He'd about expected that response. "What?" he asked. "She's still got my jacket."
Winking at Madi, he squeezed her shoulder as he walked past towards the couch. He knew the deal by now. "Say hi to Dag for me."

Upstairs, Callie listened as Clarisse babbled away. It was oddly comforting. Clarisse, if she didn't look at the teeth and all that, reminded her of one of her ballet friends. Five, she'd said, right? Madi, who was a witch. Clarisse, vampire. Luke-talkative, early riser. Jacqueline sang? Was that a thing, or? And Dagger, the shapeshifter. Grumpy, apparently. It seemed like a pretty wide array of people, and Callie felt a kind of warmth start curling inside her when she realised just how Clarisse was talking about these people. They were friends, people with quirks and flaws, and Clarisse wasn't afraid to introduce them as such. You had to be scared when someone refused to let you know what annoyed them about someone. But this was how Callie would introduce her sister to someone.
At that thought, the warmth in her stomach curled up tighter, flinching, and Callie's brief smile faded as well.
Once they had figured out her schedule? Was she likely to change? Did changelings sleep funny? How much was she going to change now that she'd come out? Callie took a deep breath in. For now, Clarisse was right. Sleep.
And this room looked very well equipped for that. It was bigger than the one she had at home, though not by much. It was quiet, and cozy. Nothing loud or obnoxious in this room, just a bed, and a window. She'd always wanted to sleep in an upstairs bedroom. Relief swept through her, and Callie let herself sag against the doorframe.
She glanced at the drawers as Clarisse finished her chipper speech. "This is amazing. You guys just had this set up spare?"
Her eyes roamed the room as Clarisse answered, wondering how many lost souls had found their way into this room. She shivered, realising she was still in Leo's far too large jacket. She paused, but pulled it closer. She didn't quite feel like parting with it yet.
"Um, any chance someone has some pjs I can borrow?" she asked. She was still in jeans and a shirt, and they were all she had. "I mean, I'm definitely tired enough to sleep in these but..." She didn't want to keep wearing these. All the worst things that happened in her life had happened to her while wearing these stupid clothes. She'd keep Leo's jacket, but even just for tonight, she wanted out of these. "I don't want to get them too creased if they're all I'm gonna be wearing for a while."
 
Madi just offered Leo a grunt as he took the rest of the food and sent his wishes. She was done talking, everyone was taken care of so she didn't have to anymore. Leo had taken the couch more than enough times in the past, so she trusted him to take care of himself. As for the food? Less leftovers for her to clean up later. And with that, the weary little witch finally went back to bed, fulfilling Leo's wish by giving 'Dag' a pet as she climbed under the blankets. Anything else could be done in the morning...

As talkative as Clarisse was, she at least stayed quiet while Callie examined her new room. This was the time to wait for questions, she wasn't that tactless. And the questions soon came, the first one coming with a compliment to boot.

"Yeah, pretty much." Clarisse shrugged in response to Callie's surprise about their preparedness, giving the room a glance as she talked. "S'what this place is for, bein' ready for anyone who comes in. Madi's even got this sweet charm over the whole joint, keeps all the rooms fresh 'til someone uses 'em. So the sheets're clean, no dust on anything, whole shebang."

She noticed the little tell of Callie pulling on Leo's jacket, and wisely stayed quiet while the kid made her first real request. "PJs? Sure! I'll go look around, 'm sure we got somethin' you can use. Any preference, or just whatever?"

She barely waited for Callie's answer before giving her a casual salute and slipping out the door. "Be right back!"
 
Well it was good to know magic could take care of chores. Callie wondered vaguely if this place had like, a chore roster, or whether they just let the magic do it. Was there a magic kind of mess that people made she was going to have to get used to? Did someone shed or shit fairy dust or something? Did Clarisse have bloodbags hung up on the fridge? Oddly, those sorts of questions floated around Callie's mind with the same level of importance as who took the trash out on a Tuesday. Callie knew she should probably try and reign her thoughts in a little, that they were getting a bit nonsensical, but she didn't quite bother. She was going to bed soon anyway.
Clarisse looked more than happy to go and fetch her some clothes, though Callie doubted she'd be able to use anything of hers-her and Clarisse were about opposite shapes and sizes. "Just whatever is fine!" Callie half-called after her as the vampire ducked out of the room, leaving Callie alone.
She swallowed.
Ok.
Walking into the room, Callie took off Leo's jacket, folded it neatly and put it on top of the drawers with her dead phone. Was she going to be able to afford to buy some new clothes? Or books or anything? Would her parents let her go back and get her things? She thought they might, but her mind skittered away from that thought as soon as it appeared. Alright. Leave that idea for tomorrow. What about school? Was she a dropout now? She'd only had half a year left, sure, but still. She'd been on track for university entrance. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Callie smoothed a hand over the quilt. It was nice. It smelled strange though, like something familiar she couldn't quite remember. Looking out the window, Callie saw the trees swaying gently, the night sky high above, the city lights far, far in the distance. She'd never been somewhere this far away from a seven eleven. She grinned at that thought. This was going to be crap. There was no way it wasn't going to be crap. She'd just lost everything, and she didn't know exactly what that amounted to yet, and she didn't know what she'd gained yet. She knew she wasn't who she thought she was, but she had no idea what she'd become. Until she knew that, until she could feel and touch something that she'd gained from all of this, something to tell her she hadn't just lost everything, this was going to be hard. But at least she wasn't alone.
 
Clarisse didn't need to take long to find pajamas. Jacqueline had a stockpile of random PJ-type-clothes she'd made for newbies, in all sorts of patterns and sizes and shit. Claimed it was good sewing practice, but it was also clearly her trying to 'do her part' in all this refugee business. She was putting more stuff in her little charity box every week, so there had to be something around Callie's size in there. Skinny as a rail, clearly stayed fit somehow. Maybe a dancer? Looked a bit like the cute girls from that one year she took ballet 'cause her football coach recommended it. But whatever, she'd ask later. Right now, clothes.

She ended up picking out something simple, a nightgown made out of some soft yellow stuff. Looked about Callie's size, felt pretty comfy. Hell yeah. Good choice. It was only a minute or two later that she brought the piece of clothing back to Callie, knocking on the open doorframe to get her attention.
 
Callie turned at the knock on the door and smiled at Clarisse. She kind of meant it. The knowledge that this was how things were for now was starting to settle. This was the new situation, and it certainly wasn't as bad as it could have been. Clarisse was carrying something yellow and comfy-looking. To be honest, Callie was just excited to take her jeans off. They were uncomfortable and she just wanted to sleep. She wanted to shower as well, but sleep was way higher on the list at the moment.
"Thank you so much!" Callie said, eyeing the nightgown. "That's gonna be way comfier."
 
"Awesome! Glad it'll work." Clarisse declared, grinning down at Callie as she handed off the garment. Her fangs almost didn't even look scary anymore, inside the rest of her genuinely good attitude. Or at least she hoped. She was a smiley person, always had been. It sucked when potentially cool people got scared of her just because she was happy. But hey, Callie already seemed pretty tough. Hopefully she could handle it.

"Welp," The vampire then declared, smacking the doorframe and pushing herself off of it. "If that's all ya need, I'll let'cha go sleep. Bathroom's down the hall, two doors to the left, in case you need it in the middle'a the night or somethin'. Any questions in the morning, just ask anyone you run into. Or head back to the kitchen, someone'll probably be there. So yeah, cool, 'night!"

And unless Callie had reason to keep her back any longer, Clarisse left her to her own devices.
 
Callie nodded to Clarisse, feeling her eyes droop. God, she was ready to sleep. She tried to keep in mind where the bathroom was, but most of her focus was taken up by staying upright until Clarisse had left the room. As soon as Clarisse was out the door, Callie dropped to the bed. It took her all of about a second to realise she was still in her very uncomfortable jeans. She could feel her body relaxing into the bed, her muscles going slack and heavy. It was almost a familiar feeling, the ache of that muscle fatigue, but there was a hint of something else there, a different kind of fatigue. She felt it, but she couldn't focus on it. She couldn't sense where it was coming from. It was intangible and slippery, like it worked on latitude while she was still on longitude. But she knew it was magic. Something about whatever she'd done today had taken more out of her than she'd ever even realised could be taken out of her.
It took an embarrassing amount of time for her to work up the energy to sit up and pull her jeans off. She knew that next time she lay down, she could just pass out and deal with all of this tomorrow. It would be morning, there would be sun, and most of all, it was tomorrow. While it was tomorrow, today felt a lot safer. With a stage actor's speed blocked by a child's exhaustion, Callie changed outfits, dumping all her clothes on the floor and pulling the nightgown down over her head. She dropped it and the hem brushed against her knees, soft and light. A small smile crept over Callie's face. Clarisse had guessed her size pretty well. The material was as soft as it had looked, and it was certainly far more comfortable than jeans. She wondered vaguely where the nightgown had come from, if it was someone else's, cause it sure as hell wasn't Clarisse's.
She smoothed it down, and finally, went to bed.

---

Leo didn't mind taking the couch. He'd done it a lot. Far more than a thirty year old man really ought to have, if he was honest, which often wasn't the case. The issue with this particular couch was that it faced the sun in the morning. It was technically beautiful, rays of light piercing the darkness, illuminating dust motes and setting them to sparkle as the night breathed its last. But when you had gone to sleep three hours earlier, it was hard to appreciate the beauty. In fact, it was hard not to swear at it with every curse he knew, which given Leo was a multilingual reporter, was a lot. Groaning, Leo finally conceded defeat and let his senses come to wakedness.
What he assumed was his blanket was twisted around his waist, the cushion under his head just straight up vanished. It was probably on the floor somewhere. His head felt heavy and slow, but Leo had certainly woken up in worse condition. Taking a deep breath in, he screwed his eyes closed and reached up for the back of the couch to pull himself up. His foot swung down and touched something solid, and far too warm. Leo's eyes snapped open, and he groaned again, swinging his legs around and scrubbing a hand through his hair. "Jesus, Luke. Morning."

---

Callie woke pretty late the next morning, by her standards. About 9am. The curtains over the window were floating on a gentle breeze, sunlight filtering in and playing over the floor. This was a pretty room. This was why Callie had always wanted an upstairs room. Sitting up, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and got to her feet, stretching. Her body felt surprisingly good. It actually felt better than it had yesterday. She surely hadn't rested that much, but she felt vital, and strong. It was a good feeling, though she didn't examine the slightly fuller feeling of her wellness, that same intangible something she'd avoided thinking about last night. Nevertheless, it felt good. On automatic, Callie started in on her morning stretches. Weird in a night gown, but it wasn't like she was going to be able to go for a run in her jeans later, so this would have to do.
Her mind whirred slowly into action as she went through her morning routine. For now, her mind was still waking up, slow-moving and easy to direct. It was a strange feeling doing her regular morning in a strange place, but it was oddly comforting. Whatever she was, she still did this. That was something.
It felt a bit better being today. It was easier to put a bit of distance between now and the disaster of yesterday. Of course, everyone was still here to remind her of it, downstairs, and it was all there to be dealt with, but it was a little easier with the weight of yesterday stuck there in the past.
Besides, her body was singing right now.
Stretches over, Callie thought about heading straight downstairs, but as much as she wanted to, she wanted to avoid starting the day more, so she headed down the hall for her shower instead.
Eventually, she had nothing else left to do, but she felt strong and vital, and clean and ready to face the day. Not much else to do but go to it.
Heading down the stairs, Callie tried to find her way back to the kitchen to see if there was any food available.
 
"Hi." Luke was ready with a greeting as soon as Leo was ready to talk back to him, voice quiet and gentle because Leo had just been sleeping but smile big enough to cover his whole face. Leo visits were always fun, visits at all were exciting. People were nice, at least most of the time. New people and Leo was even better.

He scooted back a bit from the couch so Leo had room to sit up without kicking him again, then peered up at his friend through his tangled blonde mop-hair (that's what Jacqueline called it last week, when she asked to give him another haircut that he said no to because he likes his hair like this) and said "You here. New person here too? You bring new people a lot. Got new new-person now? Where they at?"

~~~

There were times when Dagger hated his job. He hadn't exactly signed up for it 100% willingly, at least regarding the initial caveats. Familiars were chosen, by fate or whatever consciousness rested in Magic itself. They didn't get to choose their 'masters'. That word was perhaps his least favorite part of the entire gig, he had not used it once and luckily had never been asked to. And then adding on the fact that his boss chose one of the most inappropriate career paths for either of their temperaments...

It left a lot on his shoulders. Especially when his boss was passed out from overtaxing herself and he could sense the new Fae refugee was awake and moving around. He'd been (rightfully) asleep when she arrived, but he'd gotten an idea of her magic signature during the impromptu meditation session he was dragged into beforehand. Her magic was much too new, she clearly still had little idea what was going on. So when the signature started moving downstairs, and Madi showed no signs of waking up yet (as she shouldn't, she needed the sleep), he got up to do the job for her.

Down the stairs, avoid Luke like the plague because he did not have the time to be distracted by that annoying little shit, to the kitchen because that's where the Fae had ended up, transform. Easiest way to get people used to him was to get it all over with at once, shocking as transformation might be to newcomers. He'd had enough demeaning treatment in the past to prefer showing his sentience immediately.

"Get used to that," Was his only warning to the skinny girl in the nightgown, the advice purposefully just as specific as it was general. "Because it happens a lot.
 
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Leo sat up, looking around for his shirt. He only had an undershirt on at the moment, and while he knew he probably wasn't getting his jacket back any time soon, he was keen to keep his shirt on. Finding it on the back of the couch, he shoved his arms through, not bothering to button it up before leaning back on the couch. "Indeed I am here, Luke. And indeed there is."
He let Luke get through his tirade of questions while he blinked himself to a fully alert state. Did he bring new people here a lot? Well, he certainly brought a few, but it wasn't like he brought them exclusively here. True, this place was pretty conveniently situated when someone in the city went haywire. But yeah, Luke was right. He did bring new people around a lot. He frowned at that. That wasn't a good thing. There were too many people who this happened to. A lot of them just needed somewhere to lay low for a while, or someone to explain the society, or just some place to come when they wanted to be with their own. But there were plenty like Callie, who had nothing else.
"Her name is Callie, and last I saw her she was about to collapse from exhaustion while Clarisse put her to bed. I'm sure she'll be down soon. What've you been up to?"

---

Callie was in the kitchen. There was no-one else there, though she heard low voices in the next room. She'd hovered for a moment, unsure of whether or not she should go and ask them if she could raid the supplies. She wasn't 100% sure she wanted company, but she could hear it was Leo next door. She wanted to see him again. She still felt a close bond with him, though it was clear by now that Leo was the odd one out as a human, but he certainly wasn't an outsider. Nonetheless, she felt comfortable with him, and there was very little about this situation that was comfortable. Apart from the whole magic thing, she was in a new place, with new people, in a nightgown. There was something permanently uncomfortable about gauging how far you were allowed to rifle through people's pantries. Some people loved it, letting the whole situation just be chill, knowing you could look after yourself. Others hated it, feeling like they'd failed as hosts or that their privacy had been breached. So Callie hovered. Leo didn't live here. Whoever was with him probably did. Maybe she could ask them?
A moment later her decision was blasted out of her mind by a cat that walked in and turned into a human. For a moment, Callie was frozen, wide eyed. Around her, she felt that intangible energy wake up, just peering out at the strange happenstance, like a playful wind around her. She wasn't glowing though, so that was a plus. In fact, she didn't have to look to know that the energy was invisible and intangible, just...there. It wasn't doing anything, just curious. The man in front of her was glowering, staring right back. A cat. Turned into a human. Right. She blinked. Wait, hadn't Clarisse said something about that? She'd definitely mentioned a shapeshifter. Dagger?
They didn't seem too concerned with introductions though, given that all they'd said thus far was to get used to it. Well you know what? Callie had just found out she was a fucking fairy. She was ready to accept just about anything at this point.
"Ok. Will do." She held his gaze for a moment, awkward. "Do you have cereal?"
 
Luke's whole face lit up when Leo asked that question. Any chance to talk about stuff when you know the other person wants to hear it is a great thing! Still felt new, as nice as everyone was here. Talking as long as you want and not getting punished or anything for it. And talking about food, too! Making food was his favorite thing, and he actually got to talk about it!

"I been practicin' makin' flan!" Was his first important thing to say, the word 'flan' rolling around his tounge as if he could taste it already. "I got it right a bunch, too! Clarisse said so, bu' she couldn't taste it so she just looked at it an' stuff. I tasted it, tasted good. Also learnin' sushi, Miss Jackie an' Dagger like sushi. Dagger says I get it wrong though, I gotta get better at sushi. You like sushi, Leo? I can make some today."

~~~

Hm. Admittedly, Dagger had been expecting more of a reaction. Some newcomers showed fear, others an annoying level of curiosity. This girl only gaped at him for a moment, before regaining her composure enough to ask for cereal.

...This one would last. Not all of them did.

"Yes, we do have cereal." He answered her question, keeping his voice level so as not to set up any further expectations. Although he did go over to pull out a box of cereal, the action probably setting up an expectation in itself. But hey, he wanted breakfast too. "Milk is in the refridgerator. Avoid the blood bags, Clarisse finally learned to keep them separate from the rest of the food. Other than that, everything is available. Even the leftovers. You're a resident here, at least until you leave, so don't wait around for other people to tell you what to do."
 
Leo grinned. It was hard not to around Luke. Of course, not everyone thought like that, but Leo found him good company. "Flan? That's tricky." Leo enjoyed the mental image of Clarisse not eating flan. She was a supportive sort, so he didn't find it surprising, just amusing. "I enjoy that Dagger likes sushi. You should try him on sushimi." Leo making sushi was also a fun image. He was a big fella and sushi was a delicate thing. "Sure I like sushi," he said. "You can make me sushi anytime, my man. What are getting up to when you aren't being a masterchef?"
Leo heard some low voices outside, but was more than happy to let Callie meet some other people. Besides, he didn't want to get up off the couch yet.

---

Callie smiled a little as the cat-man walked over to a cupboard and pulled out some cereal. Not her favourite, but she wasn't exactly a picky eater. She looked around for the bowls, pulling open a likely cupboard. Nailed it. She ducked down and pulled out a couple, gesturing to ask if Dagger wanted some. She nodded at his instructions about the fridge. Opening the fridge, she felt the blood drain from her face as she saw the bloodbags just hanging in there. She didn't want to even consider what it had been like before she 'separated' it from the rest of the food. She blinked for a second, trying to get past the image of bloodbags hanging out above the butter. She grabbed the milk and closed the door.
She nodded at the catman. Open pantry. Good to know. One of the several knots of concern that had tied up in her stomach loosened at that. One less thing to worry about if she could just grab food. "Ok, thank you. You're Dagger, right?"
She held a hand out. "Callie."
 
Other things besides cooking...? Luke didn't really do all that much besides cooking. Maybe that was a bad thing, but he liked cooking so much that he really didn't mind. He liked everything about food, all the way down to...

"Oh yeah!" Luke's face brightened up even more as he remembered his newest big project. "I'm growin' food in Madi's herb garden! She ga' me a spot to plant tomatoes an' strawberries an' stuff, an' they already started growin'! No tomatoes or strawberries yet, but the plants gettin' really big! I take good care of 'em, water 'em an' clean the weeds an' everything! Every day. Good plants. I grow 'em."

~~~

This 'Callie' didn't take long to adapt. She did look a bit sick when she first opened the fridge (did someone leave the butter under those bags again because he'd told everyone a hundred fucking times that that was a health hazard), but aside from that, the girl was rooting through the drawers and even offering assistance as if she'd been here much longer than six hours. When she offered a hand to shake, Dagger returned the gesture.

"Yes, that is the Anglicized bastardization of my name." He informed her, because if he didn't even get the chance to introduce himself, he at least wanted to clear up the misconceptions. "But it is what I am called by the majority of people here, so you are welcome to do the same, Callie."
 
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A veggie patch? Leo quickly thought ahead to next time he came over. Maybe he could grab some pots or fertilizer or something. He'd look into it. "You gonna make your own tomato sauce?" Leo asked as he finally stood up, stretching. He buttoned his shirt up most of the way, but left his tie with his coat. Knowing Leo would probably follow, he turned towards the kitchen. He was hungry, and introductions had to have been made by now. He started walking towards it.

---

Oh. Awkward. Did he not want her to call him by Dagger? She was definitely curious as to what his real name was, but she didn't query it.
"Or you can do as I do, Callie, and just call him Dag!" Leo said as he walked in, nodding and winking at Callie and giving Dagger a grin. He took a seat at one of the stools at the kitchen counter, and Callie smiled at him. Another knot of worry loosened up just at seeing Leo. He was a smartarse, but she knew how to deal with them. She suspected he kept up the banter for that very reason.
 
"Yeah, yeah!" Luke beamed at Leo's idea, getting up when Leo did so they could keep talking. Also his butt was going numb, standing up would help that. He followed Leo to the kitchen, but didn't have a chance to do much else besides wave at the new person (she was wearing yellow and smelled like clean) before Leo and Dagger were talking. ...Well Leo was talking. Dagger was yelling.

"NO! That is even worse!" Dagger did not hesitate to turn on Leo, an accusatory, clawed finger pointed in the human's direction. "I have told you so many fucking times not to call me that! Having to change my name at all is bad enough, but having it flat-out cut it in half because the changes I've made still aren't enough for you? That is bullshit and you know it, Leo! It's Dagger, Dageru, or shut the fuck up!"

The second option was pronounced 'properly', IE with the slightest Japanese accent he would allow himself in this day and age. No one around here actually got his name right due to cultural differences, and it was hard enough on Madi's stutter for her to try that he usually just relented the issue and went by Dagger. But 'Dag' was out of the question. It was demeaning, and he knew Leo only still called him that to get a rise out of him but fuck if it didn't work. He could only hold on to so much of his identity here, sue him if he was defensive over what he had.
 
Callie was wide eyed. There was a new person, who she waved at as Dagger started yelling. Wow, Leo really knew how to get him going. And Dageru...she could see why Dagger was easier. "I don't think I will, Leo," she muttered.
Leo dropped her a look. "See, now you're getting it." He held up conciliatory hands to Dagger. "I'm sorry, Dagger." He waited for the catman to either keep glaring at him or go back to his cereal before he headed to the coffee machine. "I'm just getting the new girl used to the regular dynamic. You were being too quiet and personable and you were wigging me out." He gestured vaguely between Callie and the new man as he hit buttons and found mugs. "Oh, Callie, this is Luke. Luke, Callie."
Callie, feeling the heat of Dagger's glare, was more than happy to spin around and wave at the frankly cheery looking new guy. "Hey," she said. "I guess I'm gonna be around for a bit."
 
"Oh well fuck you, Leo!" Was Dagger's response to the human's defense, although he forced himself to let go of at least some of the tension in his body because he was not going to attack that man. He was better than that. "I try to do my goddamn job for once and you go and sabotage me because I'm doing too well at it? There's such a thing as professionalism, Mr. Investigative Reporter. Look it up."

Luke waited until a quiet moment to say hi to Callie, because it's rude to interrupt and he also didn't like angry voices very much. But once Dagger was done saying his angry thing at Leo, Luke gave Callie a big smile and offered a hand to shake. "Hi." He greeted, making sure to be friendly because this was a new friend and new friends needed extra niceness. "I'm Luke. I live here. Your name Callie? Nice'a meet you. An' don' worry, we all nice here. Dagger jus' gets angry sometimes, he's nice on the inside."

"Thank you for the glowing commentary, Luke." Dagger commented on the comment, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Luke ignored the sarcasm, and just gave Dagger a cheery "Mhm!"
 
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