Echo Bay, California, Friday Afternoon

[napking]

The portal dropped them off at the end of a long driveway leading up to an unnecessarily large mansion with a
large detached garage off to one side. A tall, pale blond ice prince of a male was waiting for them by the mailbox.

"Miss Finch," Alastair said with a slight inclination of his head. "Welcome to Echo Bay."

"Al's gotta adjust the wards to let you in," Raiden explained.

"It shouldn't take more than a moment," Alastair assured her. Sure, Jane had proven slightly complicated, but Jane was a god. Arden was just a garden variety human, right? "If I may?" he asked, and extended his hand in an invitation for Arden to grasp it.

"Hey, why is my car parked outside?" Raiden wanted to know.

(For that totally-not-a-sylph. NFB due to distance.)

Comments

[napking]

Were pools in the basement not standard now? Gray had just assumed because the dorm had one, too.

"It's a Chevrolet?" Gray asked, sounding confused. "Don't normal people still have Chevrolets?" Was he messing with her? He would never tell.

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden peered at him, trying to figure out if he was bullshitting her or not. "I think being crazy rich skews your outlook more than being a Nephilim does," she informed him. "Who else do you know with a pool in their basement?"

His answer was going to make her facepalm.

"And people drive Chevrolets, but not like that!" She pointed to the Ratmobile, which was what she'd be naming the car now, no question. "It looks so fast."

[napking]

"Us?" Gray said. "I mean, the dorm? At the school? I know you live in town but I'm sure you could use it..."

He peered into the newly dubbed Ratmobile. "It probably is fast...oh. It's an automatic." Gray, how did you even know that? "That'll be good for you learning to drive. I think manual is harder."

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"I'm not allowed to go in without an invitation," Arden said. "So I've never been past the common rooms."

She also peered into the interior of the Ratmobile, like she would know a damn thing about it. But she did notice it was luxe as fuck. "I'm gonna have to ask Dean or maybe Marc about teaching me how to drive. This car is too fucking wild to just leave it on the Causeway."

[napking]

"Oh," Gray said. "I didn't realize." Because you lived there, Gray.

"That's a good idea. I'm sorry I can't help, but, y'know." The Sloth.

Dean was going to have PTSD flashbacks, wasn't he?

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

At least Arden knew about cars conceptually, and had been in them before! And she'd be learning automatic, not manual, which was another benefit.

"Gray," Arden laughed. "I wouldn't even have this if it weren't for your invite. It's okay if you can't also teach me to drive."