I Look To You | MARI |

[Cruise Joseph Webster]

He managed to stay chill. If anyone knew Cruise - and here no one really did - they would think that he is the most chilled person in the world. Well at least around 90% of the time, an unchilled Cruise is much like a dragon burping at a gas station. His truck came to a slow stop, and he let out a breath as he turned off the ignition. When he beat the living shit out of the thirteen douchebags of California, it seemed that things for Mari could have been better. Like, those ass-jockeys were going to back off, and he kind of hoped his uncle would have made sure that Mari was safe. But that's the thing - Cruise's parents might have been there for him, but Reginald was never their for Mari. Cruise had comes to LA for a fresh start, but there was baggage he had to settle, and a cousin he had to pick up. Taking the last draw of his smoke, he tossed it out of the open window as he got out of his truck. He shut the door, and put his car keys in his pocket as he faced the City Of Angeles Hospital.

His bags sat in the back of his truck. He didn't exactly have time to pick up his key and move his stuff in, when he called Mari's phone it was answered by some Diana chick. Never heard of her, and all he got was that Mari was at the hospital. So Cruise made his way up to the front doors, his hands in his jacket pocket. The hospital - well - shat all over the one back home. It was massive, and Cruise was kinda worried he would maybe get lost, but you don't get granted as the Seba Mau without being the sickest kid when it comes to sense of direction. Walking up the white hall, he shuffled his feet across the ground as he got to the front desk, looking at the receptionist. Blonde, slim with high cheek bones. 'Sharley' read on her name badge, and even though right now he would let out the charm and be hitting on her so hard she would get whiplash, he had to be there for Mari. So swallowing the slut inside, he gave her a smile as he rested an arm on the counter. "Hai', Ah'm here to pick up Marina Sinclaire". He gave her a smile, and just really right now wanted to get Mari the fuck out of this depressing building, but Sharley pipped up with a form and questions.

"Hi, are you her brother?". He gave her a cute smirk as he wrote down his details and signed his name. "Nuh, Ah'm her cousin' Cruise Webster". He smiled at her, letting out that country-boy farmer charm as he waited for her to call up the Orderly to bring Mari down. Hopefully Mari had health ensurance, but being a rich chick why wouldn't she have it. Even if the Father Of The Year fucked her up. But he shouldn't worry about that, but just waited by the desk and browsed around at pamflets and posters until she came down. 'SIT's; You Could Have Them', one of them said, but he just smirked to himself. Only if your not smart enough. But standing, he waited patiently and still keeping his cool until Mari came. Who knew what she would be like. Bruised, bleeding, broken? Thank god I'm not your relation, you sexy hunk. This chick had the right mind, he liked it, and smirked as he turned to see if Mari was coming.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

She'd managed to have a dress brought over for her and her locket gave her some comfort. She felt the cross that Trenton had given her on her neck warm and reassuring. She was tired and still trying to piece together what happened with Logan. It was all a drug haze. She knew he had completely healed her hand but had wanted her to stay overnight due to the shock.

So here she was, walking down the hall slowly in her usual hip swaying walk that she saw as just the way her body worked and guys sometimes thought was sexy. She had a cadre of male interns offering to escort her to her cousin and she was flustered by all the attention as she looked for that familiar voice and that devil may care grin. She was feeling very claustraphobic and needed the open air, "Will you gentleman excuse me? I do appreciate your help but I'm fair to flustered with all this attention. I might just faint." she let the Virginian accent she'd gotten years ago peek out and the orderlies gave her wide passage even as they melted inside like an ice cream in summer.

Seeing Cruise she sped up and tackle hugged him. "Cruise!! You didn't tell me you were comin'!!" she laughed happily and hugged him. Her bruises and broken hand gone from Logan's healing, "I've been through hell but its like heaven to see you honey." she said out loud. 'Get these guys to go away, please?' she thought at him as she hugged him and half the orderlies left with a sigh or focusing on something else.

She stepped back and looked up at him, her face lighting up as she looked him over, "I'm staying with my stepmom Diana now. She and my dad had a parting of the ways. I can give you directions there. She's likely to be out until this evening." mentally she told him what she'd gone through as calmly as she could given what had happened to her. She'd gotten the police called and dispatched and she had the information to hang the bastard that did this out to dry. Her stomach growled a bit and she looked up at him, "Can we stop somewhere to eat? The sedatives they gave me need to be taken with food." she said as she showed him a delicate bag with about a days worth of pills. "They said this should work until I get my meds back home. She tried to keep her head clear of gibberish so she wouldn't bother him and tried to relax.

[Cruise Joseph Webster]

Score one for the guy who can hear everything. For a second it sounded like a cattle stampede, but hearing the sharp thuds of shoe to ground, Cruise turned around and saw it. He looked at Mari with a smirk. The sex magnetism seemed to run in the family, and a bunch of guys were hurrying after Mari as she walked down the hall. Being as perceptive as he is, he basically analysed her as she approached. He saw a loose bandage on her hand, but basically no visible wounds. Thank god crazed and pissed Cruise stayed in the basement, because the chilled one was even more relaxed now. She was okay, and he wouldn't have to beat the shit out of anyone tonight. Well, the night was still young and Valla was the most persistant little harlet he ever did meet. When Mari spun around to show these guys off, he knew he had to do the tough guy body guard thing. So walking towards her slightly since these jerk-offs were basically soaking their tighty-whiteys but just being around her were getting really close. Breaking personal bubbles was his specialty; but not when it came to his cousin.

When she charged at him, the award winning smile came out as he greeted her she basically crash tackled him. Taking a few steps back, he lifted her up in the air as he hugged her, but looking over her shoulder at these guys. Some were looking down. That's right, she's with him! She didn't know he was coming, true that, but he was hoping to give her kind of a surprise. Like rocking up on the front steps with a big hug for Pookie. Marina was a complex name for a baby, okay, so Cruise kind of nicknamed Mari Pook, and since his mom used to enjoy embarrassing shit from when he was a kid, he stuck with it. "Ah' know Pook. Buh' I just gawt 'nto LA just then, went too cawl yah' but sum Diana chick say'd you were in tha' hospital". He lowered her to her feet, and smiled at her as his hands cupped around her. He was happy to see, and to see that she was okay. Cracking skulls in his first day in a new state wasn't the best start to things.

He got her message, and gave her a humored smirk before giving her a reassuring wink. "Don't worry, Ah' gat this". Giving her a slight rub on her arm he stepped away from her and towards the orderlies. They kind of straightened up at attention. Do you think he minds if we just - smell her for a second? Seriously? She's so hot, I just wanna get peanut butter and -. His eyes went wide. He was up for crazy shit, but this stubby lil' freak was a dirty bastard. Stepping up to them, he shot a pointed finger behind them and yelled. Obviously he wasn't going to be a doctor, so making a kind of good impression here was kind of redundent. So he let it loose. "Y'all get tha' fuck outa here now b'fore I put mah' foot up y'alls asses! Get gone!". He screamed at them, and the pack of guys trampled away down the hall as he heard their embarrasement metres away, and turned back to Mari. He had to admit; that was kinda fun.

Her thoughts said enough. As she kinda briefly explained it, the game and how she broke her hand, and swam through the pig guts he just looked at her with a sympathetic expression that not many see. Without words, he touched her hand and held it in his hands delicately. But even Cruise couldn't see anything wrong with it. What the hell? He looked at her with a confused expression, and decided to ask. Prying; another specialty. "How'long have yew been in here' for? It kinda' look completely heal ri'ght now". He said quietly so no one heard. But he had to admit, food sounded great right now. He gave her a nod as he turned to lead the way out, casting his arm under her waist as he agreed. "Hell yeah! Ah've been drivin' four three day's straight now Pook. An'd tha' only thang close to take-away in Caldwell is' Martha Potter's Cafe, an'd that gurl burns burgers l'ike a son'vabitch". He chuckled as the finally left the hospital.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

"Well I'm glad your here, Cos. Its just so good to see you." the happy feelings just washed over her. He was the closest thing she had to what a brother should be and even though there was four years between them it didn't seem like it. He was so much more worldly than she was that it balanced out. It actually helped in a lot of ways because he was good at knowing the nice ones from the weirdos. "Diana's my stepmom, CJ. Well now ex stepmom but she sort of kicked dad in the nuts and got me out of the house. She says dad is going crazy but I don't know. Anyway so I'm living with her now." she said to him as she regarded him warmly. Be careful, honey. There are a couple new folks in town. Some hunters and a new werewolf. I know the werewolf pack in town and their alpha and the new Elder of the vampires is...my stepmom. Its kinda weird I know but she's nice to me. She and Trenton have been looking out for me." she shifted her head as she regarded the retreating crowd picking up on lust from one and moving closer to Cruise. She continued the double conversation though to catch him up to speed. Letting him pick up her thoughts on Trent and how complex they were and confusing to her as well as Rodney. "I don't know what to do, CJ. I'm so confused. Its so hard..." He could tell by her embarrassed thoughts that she was still a virgin and just didn't know how to handle the attention she was getting.

She laughed when he drove the orderlies off, "You are so badass. I love you." it was said affectionately and she ruffled his hair gently. Probably one of the few people that could get away with it. She straightened gently as the crowd left and sighed as she got her bearings. She still felt a little woozie from the meds. As she turned Trenton's mark showed, although she herself wasn't aware how it might look from the angle she was at. The TDM was small but still there for all to see if they got close enough.

Brushing her hair out of her eyes she looked down at her hand, "It wasn't that bad." she said out loud realizing that staring at him endlessly with no words would be weird. There is a doctor here that is an honest to god healer, CJ. He's been healing my injuries. His name is Logan Holem. He's a really nice guy and he looks like superman." she grinned up at him. "Well there is this chinese restaurant named Golden Cuisine if you wanna go there." she moved away from him to sign herself out and then turned to walk out the door with him, "I'll catch you up on everything over lunch." she promised as she relaxed more now that he was here.

[Cruise Joseph Webster]

In a sudden, a glitch rang in his head. He called it an overload, but it is just when he is recieving too much information at one time. It didn't surprise him, because they had a lot to talk about. But when someone is directly trying to contact him, he can't shut it out. As they stood in the hallway, he held her hand and looked at her. This was - fucking heaps! She is living with some vampire, getting protected by who knows whoever that guy is, and then a few details about the fact that Mari's cherry is still in tact which really disturbed him. With telepathy - there are definitely things that you don't want to know. He just through up in his mind now. But just looking at her, he realized something that - well - this country stud didn't really anticipate. Mari was really, really different compared to who he knew, and he didn't know why. His Seba side kind of digged it. Pookie has some edge about her. But the family side of him, the sensitive part of him that he didn't exactly show, kind of raised some flashing red lights.

And a healer? He didn't know what the fuck a healer was, but as long as Mari was okay then that was all that mattered. And the fact that banging a 'Superman' complexity would be an A+ achievement. Letting go of her hand, he let it lower as he looked at her. Okay, biggest different was that she was stronger. No big thing right? This was a big difference, must be with this love chick thing she is going about as. It was slick, he liked it. Giving her a smile, it was then that he saw it. It was surprising he didn't see it before. For a split second, his pupils quivered slightly in a slight narrowing, shaking rapidly but not like he was having a fit for just long enough for him to see it. 'TDM'? His vision sank in hard enough, just long enough for him to be able to focus on the marks. Was it a tat? Mari had a fucken tat!? "Jus' so you know, mad ink cousin'. What's i't mean?". He asked as he walked out of the building.

After hearing about some place, he was going to say something until he felt the vibrating in his pocket. Oh great, who was this? Pulling out his phone, he looked to the screen. And TAH-DAH!!! Valla was calling him, and he had to roll his eyes. "Fuck me'h". He moaned to himself as he looked to Mari. "Give me'h a' sec bitch". He smirked at her as he went towards the hospital garden and answered her phone. Yeah, the secrecy was necessary. She might know that he is a cat dude, but not what he does. Not what he spends most his times doing. It was Valla, she told him that if anyone knew he was the Seba Mau, that they would be targetted to get to him. Mari was awesome, but he kind of wanted to keep this little secret to himself. "Val? Ah'm good, but what's uhp? Right, why' not hav' it' next too tha' Hollywood sig'n? Nah, down't worry, Ah' got 't". Right, a seven-teen year old fairy at a party at the sign of Hollywood. Couldn't be too hard, but now he had to break it to Mari for a little postponage. "Now, how 'much do you lurve ya cousin'"?

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

As she stood there in the antiseptic soaked halls she realized what she was doing and backed the mental streak down to a slow trickle. She flushed that he had read so much about her and she bit her lip outwardly as she felt flustered. She wasn't trying to be overwhelming. Exhaling softly she looked at him, "Sorry." she whispered and the nerd girl flared up in full force. Taking a mental step back and hugging herself as the hospital seemed to continue on as if nothing had happened. She pushed the door open and almost tripped as she went to walk outside putting an arm out to catch herself as she made herself stop, breathe and continue slowly.

"Ink? What ink?" The mark Trent had given her was hard for her to see and she had yet to actually get more than an occasional glimpse of something. It looked like a spot to her. Her vision just wasn't that good. Her mental stream stopped more from embarrassment than anything as she looked at him to clarify. She felt kind of weird anyway from the drugs. Her stomach was tense and her head was throbbing. She probably needed some sleep or something.

Nodding to him she walked over to a bench and sat down, far enough away that he could take his call in private. She exhaled quietly and tried to focus on getting herself out of the wacky place that hospital drugs put you in.

"Enough to let you go do what you need to, honey." she said with a wave of her hand at him letting him know she was not bothered if he changed their plans, "I wasn't expecting you anyway so its hard to get upset when a last minute lunch gets changed." she chuckled as she rose and looked at him to figure out which vehicle was his. "I'm tired anyway and probably need to go to bed before I mentally go off like a word bomb again." she rubbed at her neck absently and looked up at him as she dug around in a dress pocket for a pair of rose tinted heart shaped sunglasses. Yes she was the gal with the rose tinted glasses and she owned it. As they made their way to his truck she looked at how high the step was and then back at him, "Ummm I can't get my foot up that high...." she looked in the back to see if he had a step-stool. Her eyes peeking over the edge of the bed of the truck.

[Cruise Joseph Webster]

She was cool about it. Too bad if she wasn't because Cruise had to get gone, and it wasn't like he could take Mari along. Number one reason is because no one knows about him, and two what could a cupid actually do? With her legs, he just always felt protective of her because she always had a hard time. With the walking and the abuse, hell he even kicked the shit out of her brothers the split second he saw them lay a hand on her. He loved her; and it wouldn't change. But Valla said that this fairy was in trouble, but didn't know when it was going to happen. So he had to play the co-ops kitty cat for ages until something happens. He would love to hang with his cousin, but destiny calls right? Or maybe destiny was strongly trying to fuck him over. "If Ah' di'nt have too, you' know ah would be chillen' with mah' cousin', believe me". He sighed as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. She understood, and if he couldn't hang out with her tonight then he would at least give her a lift to her blood-sucking step mothers. Or anywhere but there - he still hadn't decided.

Cruise couldn't help but smirk at the glasses. She was so geekily quirky, as cute as she was. She had those little Mari-like tendencies that made him feel like a kid again. A super hot kid with an awesome truck. They made their way towards it as Cruise unlocked it, dawdling next to Mari. Maybe someday he would get to his new apartment and settle in, bring a girl home and band her brains out but until then the most irresponsible person in the world had to act a clashing part for a while. Looking at the step though, he saw that she probably wouldn't be able to get up their with her braces. Sighing, he didn't have anything really to help her up. But all he could do was go all superman and use his arms. Going up behind her, he put his hands on her hips and lifted, picking her up. A smirk crossed his face. "Or - - you' can use tha' showin' o'ff cousin". He said as he moved her towards the open door and fitted her inside. See, he can be cute sometimes.

Closing the door, he hoped in the drivers seat and turned on the stereo. But - he forgot. Blaring from the speakers in the car came Bonjovi, blaring at them loudly. His ears rang as the sound pounded against him, Cruise being able to see the faint waves of wound hitting him. This was crap, now he probably wouldn't be able to hear another thought for ages. Great going, and he tried to turn it down as quick as he could. It turned down but the ringing continued as his perception increased. He could see a fly flying halfway down the street, hear the sound of a life-machine in the hospital. It died down as he looked up, and looked out the window screen. Sound sometimes really sucked. Feeling things turn normal now, he glanced back at Mari. "Sahrry Pook". He said as he took off the handbreak, and zoomed down the road.

[Marina Anne Sinclaire]

She looked at him and hugged him gently, "Now hush. You know I understand you've got things you've gotta do. I'm not gonna give ya grief about it, honey. You're family and you know I'll support whatever you need to do." she opened herself mentally to him to let him see that yes she did understand sometimes you had things to do. She wasn't just saying one thing and meaning something else. She did her best never to lie to him and the few times she had had been lies of omission about her brothers hurting her. And that had been to cover her shame because she wanted to be strong for him. Be the cousin he was proud of.

She laughed softly and smiled at him, "You're cute, honey. Its good you're in town." she said as she looked at him before settling her skirts in the truck so they wouldn't get trapped. She was genuinely happy he was here and sat back to relax. Closing her eyes to keep a growing headache at bay.

"Honey I sing in a band. The occasional explosion of music isn't gonna hurt me. You on the other hand." she said with a gentle teasing tone. She grinned as he hit the gas and grabbed the Jesus handle as the sped off. Soon, however, the roar of the road caused her eyes to grow heavy and after making sure to put her meds where they wouldn't spill all over the place she was out like a light. Exhausted from her ordeal and too tired to keep her eyes open for the moment. In a few hours she'd be meeting an archangel and getting a destiny but for now she was just a woman trying to recuperate from everything in her life. Her tattoo shown against her neck as she put her head on his shoulder and slept. She hadn't seen what he was meaning and he'd have to point it out later.