[Fin] Clothes Maketh the Man (not freeze to death)

[TawnyAngel]

There had been frost on his windows this morning and the cold had bitten into him to the bone. Already fully dressed Zevran rolled out of his hammock and pulled on his boots, he had been awake for hours but it was now a decent enough time to go over to Abel's. He was always keen to see his friend of course but he was keener than usual today, it would be nice not to have to tense his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering!

Once he had his boots on Zevran pocketed his pokeballs and left the warehouse, trying to ignore the hollow echo of his footsteps down the hall and on the stairs. He couldn't stay here much longer... but it was sheltered, it might not be comfortable but it was survivable and where else would he go? He fetched his phone out of his pocket and tapped out a message.

//Good morning! Would you like breakfast? Omelette, I thought.// He was rather counting on Abel saying yes, he knew he had a day off today but perhaps he would have other plans? He really, really hoped not.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

A soft but insistent buzz! prompted Abel to slowly roll over and fumble around for his phone. Once retrieved, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his free hand before he swiped a finger across the phone to pull up the text message. Ah; Zevran again, offering breakfast. It had been so long - nearly two years now - since he'd really had actual meals consistently, and he'd gotten used to subsisting on nothing more than cheap coffee, ramen and cigarettes. It was always a wonderful treat whenever Zevran came over to make them breakfast - or lunch (packed or otherwise) or dinner.

The blond carefully pushed himself up onto his elbows - his wounds were still sore, but didn't hurt or ache as terribly as they used to, thankfully - so he could tap out a response better, especially now that he was a little more awake. //Morning, and sure. Omelettes sound good.//  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran read Abel's response with more than a little relief. //Excellent, then I will see you soon!// he replied.

Indeed soon enough - perhaps half an hour since the last text - there was a rhythmic knock on Abel's door, the same one Zevran always gave. He was, he was aware, looking perhaps a bit dishevelled; unshaved, dark bags under his eyes from barely sleeping, and despite wearing two t-shirts and a button down plus his jacket he was still fighting not to shiver as he waited for the door to open. He would be warm soon though and while that wouldn't take care of the tiredness he knew he'd feel a lot better for it.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

By the time Zevran knocked, Abel had convinced himself to get up, shower, change, shave, and make coffee. Sonia trotted to the door to check it before opening it - she had no desire to see that woman, especially not this early - and made a quiet noise in the back of her throat in greeting.

"Morning," Abel said from within the kitchen, though he appeared a moment later with two warm, steaming mugs of coffee, one of which he pressed into Zev's hands almost before he even had a chance to enter the apartment. Seeing just how... not ready for the day he was - in every sense of the word - brought a slight frown to his face. "Man, you look like s**t. Did you get any sleep last night?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Coffee.

Zevran wrapped his hands gratefully around the hot cup as he stepped inside with a brief laugh. "I think so? At some point. Not very much though so the coffee is most welcome. Oh and really you must not flatter me so much or I will get terribly big headed." This last was said with a smirk and a wink as Zevran kicked his boots off and nudged them against the wall out of the way. "You slept well though?" He certainly looked better than he had of late, it took a while to get over being stabbed but it seemed as though Abel was past the worst of it now.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"You think so?" Abel's eyebrows rose a bit as he stepped past his friend to ensure the door shut and locked behind him. Well, he certainly looked like he didn't get much sleep... And.. like he was cold. Probably really cold, actually; coffee would help that too, if so. "Coffee is always welcome in the morning," the blond added as he headed back into the kitchen, "I can't function without it. And yeah, I slept pretty well I think. Better than I have been, at any rate."

As he turned to lean back against the counter, he took a small, experimental sip of his coffee - ah, still a bit too hot for his liking - and glanced over at his friend again. "So what kept you up last night? It's not too cold there, is it?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Zevran took a sip of his coffee - too hot, he didn't care - and considered lying. Given what Abel already knew about his situation though he didn't see very much point, he was an expert in falsehoods yes but you couldn't argue with facts. "Ah, it was a bit chilly," he confessed reluctantly with a slight shrug. "I think I may try out some of the other rooms, now there is nobody else there. Some of them I assume will be warmer than others? I shall experiment." The basement would be a good option for its lack of windows and thin exterior walls if it were not so damp down there. Perhaps a smaller room would hold heat better?  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"Mmn," he hummed as he took another sip of his coffee - as if waiting half a minute would have cooled it enough - and his brows furrowed a bit. "I bet it is. Do you have enough blankets and stuff to keep you warm, at least? Or clothes? Please tell me you at least have a warmer coat than that," the taller blond gestured with his free hand to the jacket Zevran wore. "But yeah, maybe one or another will be a little better." Warmer? Less drafty? No matter what he was still living in an abandoned warehouse with no heat or electricity or running water, or...

"Oh, you can use my shower if you want. It's nothing fancy, of course," which Zev probably knew by now, "but I'm gonna guess it's just a tiny bit fancier than anything you have over there."  

[TawnyAngel]

"Ahh... Ha. No, this is my only coat," Zevran replied with a brief laugh and another shrug. "I haven't really shopped for clothes and such since I arrived here, it's not something I especially enjoy." Shower. A shower sounded very good. "I would appreciate that," Zevran continued with a glance to the bathroom, "I don't exactly have one at my disposal, I have been using gym showers so I am sure whatever you have is nicer than that! I will cook breakfast first though of course." That was why he had come here, not to take advantage of his friend's facilities... other than the heating.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Abel frowned over his cup of coffee. He knew it was only going to get colder, right? With snow? Hm... "Oh, sure. Breakfast does sound really good, and I'm sorry to say I already showered before you got here," he said with a smirk; he'd probably go outside and smoke while Zev was showering. The blond hummed thoughtfully as he lifted his mug to his lips again for another sip. He could understand not being especially fond of shopping for clothes - he wasn't either - but if it needed to be done, then it needed to be done, end of story. And yet Zevran was putting it off... Hm... "Why don't you like clothes shopping? Too boring?"  

[TawnyAngel]

"Agh! I am crushed!" Zevran replied with a chuckle and a smirk. "Are you sure you don't yet need another shower? I could wash your back, give your shoulders a rub, or other things?"

He would have liked to stay with the flirty teasing but he did feel obligated to give Abel some kind of response to his question, the trouble was that he didn't know what to say. He sipped at his coffee, trying first to order his thoughts so that he could decide what to divulge of them but even the first was quite difficult.

"It is boring," he began eventually with a hint of hesitancy as he tried to feel his way through the response. "And it is... Ah, there is too much choice I think. How do people know what to buy? From which shop? It is really just too much trouble." He was used to things being provided, a choice of a small selection similar to what he had possessed before something wore out or got blood all over it. The idea of just going out and shopping for clothes unless it was for a very specific item - such as his much loved jacket - was alien and uncomfortable.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

"I'm sure," the blond replied, his smirk broadening a bit. But... "Maybe next time though."

But then the conversation passed into the more serious topic - or serious enough in comparison, anyway - and Abel took another sip of his coffee as Zevran slowly, carefully navigated through his response. Even a few seconds after he finished the taller blond stayed silent, thinking, before he lowered his mug. "Well," he began slowly, similarly trying to organize his thoughts into a proper answer, "I think that comes from a variety of things. Experience for one, other people for another - parents, friends, acquaintances, whatever - or from research, or other things. Common sense too. It can be a lot of trouble at times, yeah, but it's necessary. Especially if you need warm clothes for winter," he added with a pointed lift of his eyebrows as he took another sip of his coffee.

After a pause he asked, "How much cash d'you have on you?"  

[TawnyAngel]

Next time, that was always good.

The rest of the conversation was less fun but it didn't feel as bad as it might have, Abel wasn't asking questions he didn't want to answer for a start and he was very glad of that. "Ahh, I'm not sure," Zevran admitted but this time with an easy shrug, money was a transient thing that he'd never thought much about; you had some or you didn't, and if you didn't you went out and got some if there was something you wanted or needed. "Probably a hundred fifty, two hundred or so?" That sounded about right, he'd come away with two fifty a couple of nights ago and not spent too much since.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

While he was curious why Zevran seemed so opposed to clothes shopping - or anything remotely adult-like - it didn't really seem like something to ask about directly. It could've stemmed from an inability or an unwillingness to deal with responsibility, simple immaturity, or it could be a result of something else entirely; he really didn't know, and his friend seemed too complicated a person to peg it as any one thing. No, it was probably the result of a few different factors. Food for thought later, perhaps.

For the moment, he nodded his head over his mug after taking another sip. "That's a good amount. Alright," he said as he switched tracks, "how about this: After breakfast, me and you head out to do some clothes shopping for you? You provide the money and I'll provide the.. everything else, I guess?" He shrugged expressively. "Point is that you need winter clothes, so I'll help you pick some out, yeah? Going with friends is a lot better than going alone, I think - or at least it wouldn't be too boring."  

[TawnyAngel]

Shopping for clothes, but with Abel? Zevran's brow wrinkled just a little and he looked into his coffee as he turned the idea over in his head. After a few moments he looked up with a small smile. "That actually sounds like it might be fun, you can pick my outfits for me! So long as you do not pick anything too ugly of course, but I trust that you would not be so terrible and cruel to me." Spending time with Abel was always good, and this way he would actually do something that needed doing instead of putting it off forever.