open — an inspector calls.

[perceptual]

Who: Helly and YOU!
When: Last week of Christmas
Where: Your very home...
Open/Closed: Open
Applicable Warnings: n/a, will update as necessary!



You open your door to find a cheery redhead standing on your doorstep with a plate of cookies resting in the palm of her hand. If you look closely at the cookies, it's pretty obvious that they're shortbread from the store and definitely not homemade – but it's rude to stare, so don't scrutinise too closely.

"Hi!" Helly says brightly. "I'm Helly. I live on this street. I just moved here." A meaningful pause, with some deliberate emphasis on that phrase that hopefully makes sense, before she adds, "I was wondering if you wanted a cookie."

Maybe this is a little too close to the memory of the salesman for anyone's comfort, but Helly's thought about this. The only way to go door to door asking questions of people without rousing too much suspicion is to lace it thickly in the false pearly-white cheer of Sweetwater, until she can get some privacy. She rustles the cookies on the plate a little insistently, and lifts her eyebrows in what she hopes is an understandably meaningful way.

OOC — as I said in the CR meme, Helly is going door-to-door to introduce herself and try to suss out who here is in a similar boat to her. You can tag in if you'd like to meet her and thread out a conversation, OR we can just handwave that our characters have met in advance of the event!

Comments

[yupe]

The doorbell's answered immediately, in a series of high-pitched barks with some growling thrown in for good measure—like a miniature buzzsaw. This goes on for a minute or so, then another voice joins in, negotiating: “Hey, hey, c'mon girl.” It's smooth and pleasant, but with a desperate undercurrent that grows more pronounced the longer the barking goes on.

Finally, the barking fades and the door swings open. “Hi.” Jupe's appearance gives no hint of the commotion that preceded it: he wears a cardigan over a crisp dress shirt and slacks, along with a well-cared-for wristwatch and an easy smile. If his gaze settles on her a little longer than usual—well, who's to say? “Wow, those look good,” he says, every bit the friendly neighbor. “Why don't you come in, warm up? It's freezing out there.”

[perceptual]

Helly grins, although there's a look of mild panic on her face that came to her at the sound of the barking and hasn't really left. She's never met a dog before. "It really is," she says agreeably, though she can't help standing up on her toes a little to look over his shoulder, as if she's going to spot a wolfhound or something blocking the space behind him. "Um, but – sorry. Is that dog... friendly, or...?"

[yupe]

“Possessed?” Jupe suggests with a laugh—a little more natural than his initial greeting. His gaze shifts briefly down the hall. “Nah, she's too friendly, is the problem. We're still training her.” What with waking up with a dog in the house like a week ago, and all.

“But I put her in the guest room, so the coast is clear.” Said with an inviting flourish, though he doesn't actually make an accompanying gesture.

[perceptual]

"Okay," Helly says, and although she makes an effort to sound breezy and unaffected, she's quite relieved. The idea of her first exposure to a dog being here, right now, while it's barking? No thank you.

"So – cookie?" She offers the plate out to him. "I just got them from the store, but they're not bad."