Special Delivery | Mackenzie

[Austin Jennings]

Well this was certainly new. Austin hadn’t ever really had the opportunity to make it over to this side of the barracks before. Up until now his experience had primarily been with his fellow members of the 5th cohort. Of course he occasionally ran into members of other cohorts while he was out and about, the primary reason he was over here tonight was because Mac was from the 2nd and he was coming to deliver her painting, but other than those chance meetings he rarely had any reason to go any higher than the 4th’s area.

The experience was interesting to say the least. He had known that the higher ranked cohorts had it nice but ‘nice’ didn’t really do it justice. Austin couldn’t put his finger on it but things just seemed more organized here, fancier, like people actually took pride in their cohort or, at the very least were forced to. That wasn’t all either. Austin had known the legionaries of the 1st and 2nd were better fighters but as he got closer to Mac’s quarters it became very obvious. The demigods he passed were becoming more and more imposing by the minute and Austin, who was most definitely not the strongest warrior in the legion, felt somewhat out of place.

The artist found himself walking faster and avoiding eye contact which was bad because carrying around a big canvas was already hard enough. Add in haste and not watching where you were going and Austin had already gotten more than a few death glares which consequently worsened the problem by making him walk even faster and pay even less attention. It was a self-defeating cycle and by the time that he propped the wrapped painting up outside Mac’s door he was confident that he would be receiving a few death threats on his way back tonight but he was finally here and that was what counted.

Pausing outside Mac’s door for a moment to calm his nerves Austin lifted a corner of the cloth wrapping to insure the work was intact. Once he was satisfied he gave a little nod and stood back up mentally preparing himself. After all he hadn’t seen Mac since that night on the rooftop and it wasn’t like they had spent a lot of time talking about things then either. Oh it had been pretty awesome, Austin wasn’t complaining, but where did that leave them? What did it all mean?

He had it all worked out. He was going to say something cool and smooth like ’Hey girl, you must work at Starbucks because I like you a latte’ but now that he was here and the moment of truth had arrived he was still pretty nervous. The problem was that just standing here with people looking at him funny wasn’t really helping. That being the case he sucked in a big breath, put on his best smile and knocked. Dear gods he hoped this was the right room.

[McKenzie Carter]

Mac wasn't sure exactly when Austin would be bringing the painting, but she knew it was soon, so she tried to stay in her room as much as possible. Sadly, when he knocked on the door, she wasn't quite back yet. She had gone to the Principia to talk to Cheyenne... but she wasn't there. Apparently Finley had finally come back and, well, Mac wanted to know what Chey thought about that. It had been months and he was gone without a trace... and now he was back. Mac knew that those two had romantic feelings for each other and she just wished they'd act on it.

But, she was rushing back to the second cohort barracks now because she knew Austin could be there any second. She didn't want him waiting outside her door for long. She kept at a jog until, finally, she turned in the hallway and saw him at the door, just having lowered his hand from knocking. She grinned, catching her breath a little as she slowed to a walk -- coming down the hallway toward him. "Austin," she breathed when she reached him.

She smiled softly, "hi," she went with her instinct and leaned forward to kiss his cheek before pulling back, placing a hand on his arm. "I hope you weren't waiting very long." She bit her lip nervously, worrying that maybe that was the fourth or fifth time he had knocked and he had been there for a long time just waiting for her to get back.

[Austin Jennings]

As he finished knocking he heard someone call his name from behind him. So surprised was he that anyone would know his name here that he spun around in shock almost losing his balance before seeing that it was just the person he had come here to see. "M...Mackenzie hey!" He said as he watched her run up. The corners of his lips had just begun lifting into a smile but as she leaned in to kiss his cheek his face lit up like a Christmas light. By the time she pulled away he was wearing a full blown goofy grin and all the things he had been worried about were out of mind.

"Me? N...no. Don't worry. I just got here." He said as he continued smiling. He couldn't really help himself at the moment. Mac was happy to see him and even though he didn't want her to worry he did think that she looked pretty cute when she bit her lip like that. "It's uh...good to see you again." He didn't want to sound dorky or anything but he was surprised by how true that statement was. He wasn't sure what it was but there was something about Mac that just made him feel better no matter what else was going on.

"How have you been? I uh...I wasn't expecting you to pop up behind me." He chuckled a bit scratching the back of his head as he tried to quit blushing. "Oh! I brought by your painting. Is uh...is this a good time? I could help you hang it up if you want."

[McKenzie Carter]

He said her full first name, which she loved way more than she should, and he was grinning widely when she pulled back from kissing his cheek. She giggled. He said he had just gotten there and she nodded, giving a sigh of relief. "It's good to see you, Austin," she returned. It was incredibly true, too. It felt like it had been a long time since she was really this happy to see anyone aside from Cheyenne. She felt glad about it, but also cautious, but mostly glad. And giddy. Her own smile was wide now, too.

He asked how she was, saying he didn't expect the way she arrived. Before she could answer those things he brought up the painting and she bit down on her lip, her grin still wide, and nodded. "Yes, yes, please help me. Come in, stay as long as you want," she said, maybe a little too quickly. She stepped past him in order to open the door, then pushed it open with her back against it, nodding for him to enter the room. "I've been good. Thanks. And it is a good time. I mean, even if it wasn't I'd make time," she was talking fast again and her own cheeks reddened.

[Austin Jennings]

Mac was genuinely happy to see him which helped to relax his nerves even more. It was easy to say something and not really mean it but that never seemed to be the case with Mackenzie. She seemed real to him, down to earth. It was one of the things Austin liked about her and seeing that things hadn’t changed since the last time they had been together was nice. Austin had never met someone he could just be comfortable being around as much as he could with her but Mac always made it easy somehow.

Austin chuckled a little at her eagerness and went to pick up the canvas while Mac opened the door. “Great. I’m glad I’m not taking you away from anything.” He said as he brought the painting inside. “Sorry it took me so long to bring it over. Training has been crazy but uh...you probably know that.” Once he was inside he set the painting down against a wall and took a moment to look around. “So this is your room? I like it. It’s really nice...” He happened to glance back at Mackenzie at that moment just in time to catch her blushing. That was new. He liked it too and thought it made her look very pretty. So distracted was he by the sight that he forgot what he was going to say next and it took him a moment before he spoke again. “Have you uh...thought about where you want to hang it? Maybe on the wall close to your bed...so you can always see it?”

[McKenzie Carter]

He took the painting inside and she closed the door behind him. She shook her head and waved an arm to dismiss his comment about training being crazy and all. Then he set the painting down and looked around.

Her room was nice, sure. It was pretty simple with nothing much decorative wise. She had mostly white blankets and pillows but with one light pink one thrown in. Her desk was a bit of a mess at the moment, which she chose not to think about. He caught her cheeks reddening, though and they reddened just a little more. For a moment neither of them said anything, until he broke the silence.

"Oh!... yes, that would be a good spot," she agreed, moving toward the bed and raising an eyebrow at the wall behind it. She lifted both hands as if to measure. "It'll look like Washington is out my window."

[Austin Jennings]

Austin watched as Mac moved over beside her bed and smiled a little as she measured the wall apparently liking his suggestion. He gave a little chuckle at her statement and smiled a little more as he said "Well I dont know if it's that good or not but I'm glad I can help you remember." It wasn't false modesty either. He had always been his toughest critic but he supposed if Mac really liked it that much he had done his job.

"At least you'll have a pretty good view in the morning." He added as he brought the wrapped painting over. On a whole it gave Austin a little swell of pride to think Mac might be looking at his painting every morning. Sure it wasn't much but maybe when she looked out at that green Washington forest she would think of him while she was transported back to the place she loved so much. He would like that.

"I uh...I don't really have much room to display stuff." He said with a chuckle as he began to carefully undo the coverings over the canvas. "Rooms are too small in the fifth barracks and I uh...kind of have a problem with working on more projects than I have room fot." It was the nicest way Austin could think to put the fact that his room was usually a total wreck. Canvases stored anywhere he could squeeze them in, at supplies across the floor. It would have been nice to have a little more space but Austin didn't exactly have the best record when it came to being organized. At least one of his paintings would be out where someone could enjoy it other than himself though.

"Guess you're going to be my first art exhibit." He glanced up at her with that goofy smile he had once the painting was unwrapped. "Still like it as much as when you commissioned it?" Austin stepped back from the painting to retrieve a few hanging supplies from his backpack and let Mac get one more good look at her painting. He had added his signature in small silver scrawl at the bottom left corner. A little personal touch so that she would remember where she got it but other than that the picture was just has he had made it. "What do you think? Does it still look like Washington?"

[McKenzie Carter]

It was a good thing, and a bad thing, but it would remind her of a lot of things that were really important. He said she'd have a pretty good view in the morning and she instinctively said, "oh, I can think of better ones," in a suggestive tone. Then her eyes widened a little and she looked back to the wall. She had been such a flirt before almost dying, then she had slipped into being a bit more guarded but her joke proved that maybe, somewhere under the surface, she was feeling a little better. Not that she wanted to be a 'flirt' again, but sat least she could make jokes again.

He started to speak about how he didn't have much room to display stuff, busying himself with the canvas cover. She moved onto the bed and kneeled down on it, reaching over to help him with the covering carefully. "There's nothing wrong with more art... maybe you'll just have to hang more here," she suggested, not realizing how incredibly personal that probably was to him. She felt bad that his barracks were smaller but that was the legion for you.

She glanced up at him, steal kneeling up on the bed when he looked at her with that smile, saying that she would be his first art exhibit. Then he asked if she liked it as much as when she first commissioned it. "Yes," she answered, without even looking down at it, her eyes still on him. Then, finally, she did look down at the painting. "Yes, yes I do," she confirmed. He stepped back and she surveyed the painting a little more, a smile still on her face. She leaned forward when she saw that silver mark on the bottom, her fingers hovering above it but not touching. His name.

That made her smile a little more. Okay, a lot more.

She looked up when he asked what she thought, and she nodded. "It does! The good parts," she explained with a chuckle. "You can climb on to help me hang it if that's easier," she added.

[Austin Jennings]

Her little flirtatious comment set him to blushing like he felt he never had before. Was that comment directed at him? It probably had to be since there was no one else in the room but if so exactly what other view was she thinking of right now? Austin’s imagination was running wild on him and most of the thoughts were making his blush deepen so he decided it would probably be best to let that one go for now. After all he didn’t really know how to respond other than just a stuttered ‘I can too’ and he didn’t want to seem even dorkier than he already had been.

Fortunately she provided him a welcome distraction as she mentioned the possibility of hanging up more of his art. “R…really? You would be up for hanging up a few more of my pieces?” Honestly he was flattered. It was likely Mac didn’t know how much this really meant to him but to think that she actually liked his art, not just the painting he had made for her, well it might be the first time someone had really taken an interest in him like this. “I would like that Mackenzie. I could pick you out some things if you like. Then you would get to choose which view you wanted or you could stop by our uh barracks sometime.”

All of a sudden Austin was feeling really good about all this. So much so that when she asked him to climb up on her bed and help her hang the painting he didn’t even think twice about it. “Sure. Here you tell me where to move it so we can get it centered and I’ll get it up there.” Climbing up beside her he brought the painting up and held it against the wall for her to see. “How does it look back there?” He called to here without looking back as he awaited her instructions on how he could make adjustments.

[McKenzie Carter]

He questioned her saying that she would be willing to hang up more of his pieces. "Of course I would! I don't know any other artists and this is beautiful, so," she explained, even though it wasn't much of an explanation. She liked him, she liked his art, so why not? In the back of her brain, a small part tugged at her. Sure, sure. Hang up the boys paintings and then when he leaves you for dead like Ezra did you can be reminded of it every time you look at them. She shook her head, trying not to let those voices get to her.

He said he would like it she hung some paintings up, saying he could pick some out. She nodded, "either way, really. Coming to your barraacks wouldn't be a problem. Plus, you're here in mine so I may as well," she giggled.

She grinned when he immediately agreed to climb on the bed to get it centered. She nodded, staying where she was as he held it to a spot and asked. "I think a little more to the left. Like, half an inch," she sai, tilting her head to the side a little.

[Austin Jennings]

The praise from Mackenzie was certainly putting him in a good mood. For some reason knowing that Mac thought so highly of his work made him feel like he could take on the world. Probably not literally of course. He was still pretty much a wimp but dammit maybe he could make a few more awesome paintings while on this kind of high. At this rate he might have to because he was pretty excited about the prospect of getting to see her again even if it was just in his junk 5th barracks room.

“Well if I'm uh...going to have a cute girl over I guess I probably need to clean up a bit.” He chuckled nervously as he stretched to get the painting into position. He couldn’t really watch Mac while he was doing this but he hoped she could tell he was just kidding...at least about the cleaning up thing. He didn’t want her to think he was a total slob after all. For now though he had to make sure to get this painting juuuuuuust right.

“Almost got it...I think...” He said as he stretched to get the painting into position. He was close he just needed to stretch just a little more. Being the tallish guy he was there weren’t many places he couldn’t reach but in the end the bed proved to be more unstable than he had anticipated. Just as he thought he was about to get things situated the mattress shifted underneath him and that was all she wrote. With a cry and flailing of arms Austin was sent tumbling. For a moment he might have been flying the way he was flapping his arms but that moment quickly passed as he went crashing to the floor with his painting landing on top of him for good measure.

[McKenzie Carter]

He said that he would have to clean up a bit if he had a cute girl over, and Mac laughed at that, but didn't respond verbally. She'd let him have that one. Plus, she was focused on watching him move the painting into place. He said he almost got it, and she cocked her head to the side. But, just as she was about to say it was perfect, he started to fall. "Austin!" she found herself calling out, as if that could help. She launched toward him, but didn't really help. He fell, the painting landing on top of him and she almost landed on top of the painting. She yelped, managing to side step just in time and kneeling by his side instead.

"You okay?" she asked, reaching her hands out for the painting but moving slowly as to not damage it. She lifted the painting with one hand and used the other to gently touch his forehead. "The framed seems to have smacked you."

[Austin Jennings]

Austin must have blacked out for a moment. At least he hoped he did anyways because that would be preferable to looking like a fool laying here on Mac’s floor with a painting on top of him. Unfortunately he wasn’t that lucky and in fact he was pretty sure Mac was already moving over to him trying to see if he was okay. He was but he also kind of hoped he sank into the floor at this point. Some great artist he was if he couldn’t even hang one of his paintings properly.

“I think so...” He said as Mac moved the painting and stood there hovering over him. Even though he gave a little grimace as she touched the spot on his noggin where the frame had landed all in all he didn’t think the view was so bad from down here. He got to look up at the pretty girl examining him with a look of concern and even if his head stung something fierce it was probably worth it. He just hoped he didn't look like too much of a wimp. “Yeah I feel it.” He said and gave her a little smile that hopefully told her that he wasn’t concussed. “I didn’t break any of your stuff did I? I guess I didn’t have it quite as well as I thought…”

[McKenzie Carter]

He said he thought he was okay, seeming unsure still. He grimaced when she touched his forehead and she brought her hand back, just to hover over his head instead of touching it. She wanted to laugh, but she wanted to be assured he was fine first. Well, there was no blood so how bad could he be? He said he could feel the frame hitting him and she did laugh, shaking her head as he switched to asking about her stuff. "Everything's fine. You don't seem to be badly hurt," she moved away in order to gently place the painting on top of her bed and then turned back to him, holding a hand out in order to help him up. "Unless you want to stay there," she joked.

[Austin Jennings]

Austin was glad to hear his little spill hadn't torn up her place. With his luck it was kind of surprising that he didn't go crashing through the plaster of the wall or break her night stand or something. All in all a little bump on the head didn't seem so bad. He even made her laugh again which was nice. Maybe she was into guys who were likely to cause an accident at any second. If that was the case then he was all too happy to fill that role for her.

He gave her a grateful look as she offered him her hand. "Well uh the view wasn't that bad actually but next time I would enjoy a little less head knocking." He said as he took her offered hand and used it to pull himself up. "You wouldn't happen to have any aspirin would you?" Chuckling he rubbed the sore spot on his head half out of pain little and half in embarrassment. He certainly hadn't expected to come over today and crack his skull in front of the pretty lady but here they were.