What the....? - Marvin's Haven

He'd been out walking when something had caught his eye. That something now having the youth completely mesmerized as he gazed in disbelief with a half open mouth, the cigarette still between his fingers and half way to his lips where it had seemingly stopped.

Was he really seeing this?
He blinked once, still not moving from the sidewalk, realizing that he was staring but not really able to do much about it.

Marvin went out to fetch his newspaper and saw Charlie walking by.

"Well hello there Charlie." he smiled

The youth stilled looked stunned, for once completely lost for words and off his game. He seemed to struggle with his word for a moment before slowly managing to force his body to respond as he moved over to Marvin and stopped at the front gate.

"Now what the bloody Hell..." he eyed the other man up and down. "Is that?"

"Rodeo clown costume. It's an artform you know. Want to come in for a drink?"

Again there was that moment of disbelief, of hesitation brought on by disbelief. Was this guy serious?
Charlie looked like he wasn't sure which way to go with his answer before finally answering "Yeah, sure" before taking a last breath of the cigarette and flicking it away without putting it out.

Fine. Sure. Malkavians were known to be crazy, but he had to admit Marvin hadn't struck him as clown crazy...

He lead Charlie inside and beckoned to a couch. "Have a seat, I'll be right back."

While the Malk was in the kitchen, Charlie would likely notice that *everything* in the home was arranged in neat orderly lines.

Very neat, orderly lines. the youth simply had to nudge a vase half an inch out of place as he passed it and walked over to the couch. Stopping for a moment to look around before sitting down and pulling his jacket off.

And to think people thought him neat and tidy... sheesh.

"So what on earth is with the costume?" he called out as Marvin disappeared into the kitchen. Charlie could still hardly believe his eyes.

Marvin walked in with a small glass of blood in each hand, offered one to Charlie, and with a frown noticed the lamp and moved it back into place.

"The costume? I told you, it's an artform. Is there a problem?"

He sat down in a chair opposite the youth and sipped on his drink

He too the glass with a slender hand before leaning back onto the couch, a hint of disbelief still visible in his steel blue eyes as they searched Marvin for some kind of answer other than the bull shit one about art.
"No problem just... unexpected" he said, slowly easing a fingertip along the edge of the glass but not drinking as of yet.

"Would you like to know the full story Charlie?" his voice rich with the accent of London and New England both somehow combining into a delightful tone.

"Oh please" Charlie finally managed to let out a chuckle as a hint of a smile once again made it to his lips. "You'd be saving me from one massive headache"

"It will cost you a minor boon though." Marvin smiled and took another sip of his drink "And you not telling anyone else."

"I'd owe you for not giving me a headache?" he laughed, his finger still tracing the edge of the glass with a slow liquid movement.
"Fine" he tapped a fingernail on the glass. "Worst deal I've ever made for a boon I'm sure, but I need to know this one"

Marvin smiled again.

"I got into an argument with Rai'dah Tahan, her deputy Raz0r and the Harpy. I suggested the harpy might not be the most impartial mediator of an argument with his lover and her close friend against me. I got some of what I wanted,and in turn he told me I behaved as a clown, and he gave me the choice to dress this way for two weeks, or he would damage my reputation."

"And this" he motioned towards Marvin's outfit. "Wouldn't damage your reputation?" Charlie laughed, lifting his fingers from the edge of the glass to rest against the bridge of his nose for a moment.
"That's... that's precious" he actually seemed to giggle.

"Being completely insane has it's advantages Charlie."

"Yes, no doubt" he rested against the back of the couch, lifting one foot up to rest on the edge of the table as he continued to cradle the glass gently in his left hand.
"Love the make up by the way, really brings out your cheek bones" the youth grinned.

"Why thank you"

He paused... carefully considering something.

"I knew your father you know. Professionally, nothing more. I wanted to know as little as possible about his little obsessions, and in fact it was a bit of unfinished business with him that brought me to town."

The laughter softly subsided, the smile settling into that same polite one he tended to wear in public. Seemed the youth had at least taken the chance to pull himself together.
He rested his elbow on the back of the sofa and tilted his head sideways so to rest against his knuckles.

"Is that so? I hope you've managed to settle things in an orderly fashion then" he eyes the Malkavian for a moment.

"Men like him always paid in advance. It has... benefited me several times. "

"Computer programs. Nothing even fantastic, truly he could have bought it all off the shelf, but he felt if he threw enough money at what he perceived as a problem, he could solve it. No offense, but he was helpless with computers. I was one of the few programmers in London who would do business with him, and quite frankly I liked the money. So I did my best for him, but there was nothing fantastic or earth shattering about what I made for him. Databases, analytical programs, all scaled up to handle the kind of number crunching he needed. I don't know who did his security, he never asked me about that. The last thing I did for him, was a specialized database program. I don't know what data he planned to put in it though."

"I suppose I should have charged you for this information, but I made enough money off him in the last decade to give this as a freebie."

Charlie seemed to consider the information for a moment and then nodded slowly.
"I already owe you one favour now" the youth said with a slight smirk. "No need to add to that right away now is there?"
He lifted his head slightly from his hand so to allow his fingers to brush through his hair.
"And I'm sure he would've appreciated you telling me" he added, still blue eyes still locked on the Malkavian.

He smiled "I wouldn't know. I took his money, and advised him on computers to a degree. Nothing more."

"So then, don't tell me it was just the clown costume that brought you around my way?"

"My feet brought me to the area" Charlie smirked. "The clown suit brought me in here" he motioned with a manicured finger while still holding onto the glass.
"Had I been any kind of sane I would've turned and left the moment I realized I was on your turf. -Specially- with that thing on"
Apparently though, sane wasn't that big a deal for him either.

"I seem to be a crazy brujah magnet" he smiled "although really, what does it matter how a person is dressed? Does this outfit make me any less capable of coding, or making your telephone putty in my hands? Perhaps my intelligence lessens, or my ability to enlighten someone with just the right way of speaking to them? Sometimes one must look beyond what is presented. The harpy wants to fancy me a clown, so be it. It was a cost of how I chose to commit certain actions. It does not change what I am capable of."

"No" the androgynous youth smiled. "No it does not" he tapped a manicure nail on the glass again, still with one elbow resting against the back of the sofa.
It was funny though, for a brief moment he'd done the same mistake as so many people did when they first met him. He'd judged based on appearances and now found himself int he home of a Malkavian. He'd done better moves, he admitted to himself.

"Good thing you seem to be enjoying it at least"