jamesthorn | (open)

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When his father said he wanted to throw a formal dinner party for Daniel and his new girlfriend Amelie Coombs, what he really meant was --- James needs to throw a dinner party for Daniel and his new girlfriend Amelie Coombs. Because his father's dealings in the affair was simply calling James and yelling about caterers and invitations and place settings. While ordinarily his father is quick to hire event planners to handle this type of thing, this is one event where secrecy is key. No one wants this mingling of sides to become public knowledge until it's absolutely necessary. His father is attempting to make nice for Daniel, but who knows if that's actually going to happen. Plus, some of his father's reputation and business dealings hinge on the fact that he's not exactly pro-witches or pro-magic, and to be seen with any of the Coombs family would be scandalous to say the least.

James understands all that, but still, the absolute last thing he cares about is a dinner party for Daniel and his girlfriend. Coombs or not. But, he does it, not for his father, but for his brother. Who knows how serious Daniel even is about this woman, but James cares about his brother too much to not help out.

That's the only reason he spends his day off running errands all over town trying to get all the last minute arrangements made. His last stop is his normal suit shop out on the northside of town. Everything's being done too late, but the family tailor always manages to squeeze them in. The one thing James does care about is the fact that Davin agreed to accompany him for the night, and so he hopes to look his best.

It's been too long since he's had any semblance of a date, but he likes Davin and he's anxious to see how the evening goes. His tailor assures him that his suit will be delivered in time for the dinner, and after paying his bill, he steps out onto the busy sidewalk. Heading in the direction of Seaside Bakery so he can grab a quick coffee, he pulls out his phone and checks through the list of errands he was supposed to finish.

OOC: Find James grumpily running all over town preparing for the Thornton / Coombs dinner party that is coming up. His father is attempting to make nice with Daniel's new girlfriend, but it's probably going to be a disaster.

Rest assured James is probably super grumpy.

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An apology is on the tip of his tongue, but then he sees it's Keira Sullivan and it dries up. All he does instead is grimace at her presence. She is peskily irritating, and he doesn't see how it's entirely his fault that she plowed into him.

"I actually was in the middle of something, and you ran into me," he accuses making no effort to help her with her books.

"Was it the middle of you removing the stick from up your ass? Because is it Christmas because that surely is a holiday miracle." Keira drawled, looking up at him and rolling her eyes before forcing books into his arms. Civil duty apparently died out with the cops, should've figured. Most of them were all assholes to Sullivan's. "Carrying my weight in books, so I'm pretty sure you ran into me. You can help me carry them, civil duty and all. I'm taking them back to the library to be processed."

James is surprised when books are literally shoved at him, and he grunts under the sudden force and weight. There are people passing by on the sidewalk because the two of them and her book disaster are in the way and blocking foot traffic, and he smiles and nods politely then turns on Keira with a sourface.

"It's not civil duty if I don't want to help you. I'm also off the clock." But there are still being books forced at him and he just kind of stands there dumbly. "Hurry up, I have stuff to do," he says crossly.

"That's exactly what it is, you think people do duty because they want to help? Nope, that's not it at all. Besides buck up, could be worse. It could have been the stamp catalogues not the law journals, those suckers weigh a tonne." Keira replied, brushing her straightened hair out of her face before placing the last one on top of his arm full. Smiling as he stared and practically scowled at her, Keira patted him on his arm (which was you know nice for a cop) and grabbed her own books. "You actually have hobbies outside staring, scowling, and generally being a sourpuss? Huh. Interesting. So, what kind of stuff does a detective do anyway?"

James only response to her question is to in fact scowl, and say, "Please don't. I would prefer not to talk." Actually he would prefer her not to talk because she just talks so much and most of it irritates him for some reason, and he's been roped into doing this and he has so many other things to do for this godawful dinner.

Carrying Keira Sullivan's books to the library which is blocks away is not something he wants to do. "Do you not own a vehicle?" he asks.

"Wow, you know you can't actually get cooties from girls. You know that right? Even those pesky Sullivan ones." Keira replied, pressing her lips together in bemusement as he just scowls at her. Like she's the worst person in the world. Yeah, like she wasn't used to cops in this town looking at her like that. All because her extended family tended to run in all the wrong circles. "And no I do not, do you know how small this town is? And what's the point in running the expense of a car? Not all of us bleed money, you know."

God, James is doing her a favor and carrying these heavy books and she's still managing to insult him. That's talent. When she says she doesn't own a car, he just stops and heads for the crosswalk. "I will just drive you there since I apparently bleed money and own a car like every other person in this town," he says, waiting for the traffic light to turn so they can cross the street. His black BMW is parked on the curb. "Or buy a bike. Something."

"Of course you own a BMW, of course you do." Keira muttered, turning on her heel as he stops and heads across the crosswalk with her books. Running to catch up with him, she smiled as he looked well so, Thornton about it all. Because apparently not having a car when she lived in the world's smallest town was such a major inconvenience. "Or save the planet by using these things called legs to walk because honestly, it's not that big a deal. And could you see me riding... a bike?"

Him maybe. But a bike? No.

As they come up to his car, James realizes he's holding a mountain of books and his car keys are in his pant pockets. "Fine. Then, buy a broom I guess," he says, frustrated, as he has to place the books down on the ground and fish out his keys to unlock the door. "Here," he says, opening the door and gesturing for her to put the books in the backseat. "And you'll be happy to know that I have a job and paid for this car myself. Thank you for asking."

"Are you calling me a witch, detective? Wow, such language. Do you kiss your sister with that mouth?" Keira asked, hands almost going to his pants pockets before he put the books down. Pulling her hand away, as if she wasn't doing anything she waited for him to unlock the door. "And anyway, I'm an Earth witch. I do protection spells and wards, I don't do flying at night on a broom. Sorry to disillusion you."

Keira put the books carefully in the back, bending down to pick the stack he'd left on the floor. Glancing at him, she smiled a little before sliding into the front passenger seat. "I know you have a job, still most cops even on a detective's salary don't buy themselves a BMW. Besides I would've thought you were more a Mini Cooper kind of guy."

"You are a witch," he says.

James doesn't know what Earth witch means. He doesn't care what Earth witch means (except he does wanna know little bit but he wouldn't ask her). Instead, he just rolls his eyes as he climbs into the driver's seat. Waiting as she buckles her seatbelt, he pulls away from the curb and heads in the direction of the library.

He just shrugs at her questions over his car. He works and compared to how he grew up sheltered away in the luxurious confines of Thornton Estate, James lives rather modestly. He has his trust fund of course, but he puts in an honest day's work and tries not to flaunt his family's money.

"Remember when I said we don't need to talk? That still applies," he assures her.

"Yeah, but the way you say it makes it sound like a crime. It's not, no more than being born with dark hair is. It's not like I can help what I am, or who I'm related to." Keira replied, stretching her legs out and up and maybe- just maybe- putting them on his dashboard. Just to provoke him a little. He was rather well, fun to rile. Not that her dad would probably understand that when she ended up being the first on their side of the family to get arrested. "You don't want to talk? How forward, pretty sure Coop hasn't even been that forward. And here's me thinking you didn't like me."

James simply scowls when her feet go up on his dash, but he tries not to let her ruffle his feathers because he knows that's what she's doing. It's what she always seems to do whenever anywhere near him, and it's why he keeps telling her not speak.

She doesn't listen. That's another thing that bugs him.

"I don't like you, and I don't think you like me," he says, and that's the way it should be. "You are just trying to irritate me."

"You don't? I'm surprised," Keira replied, rolling her eyes as she stretched in her seat. Her boots scuffed the dash with the most horrible sounding noise of rubber being pulled as she leaned back. "I don't know you. I know you're a cop who judges me because of who my family are and who jumps to every suspicious little conclusion because of it. That, I don't like. But you? I don't know, maybe grumpy is my type."

Keira smiled when he accused her of trying to irritate him. "I'm not admitting anything. But I like seeing people in our community give back, helping me with my books is hardly an ordeal now is it?"

Her boots scraping against his dash is just icing on top of the headache he already has, and he accelerates faster so he can get her to the library and out of his car. Even though he knows she is simply trying to get under his skin, it is working. That's the thing.

"It wouldn't have been an ordeal if I'd strapped you to the hood," he agrees because then she could've talked all she wanted and he wouldn't have had to listen. "I am gonna go out on a limb and assure you that you're being a Sullivan is far down the list of reasons why I find you terrible. So."

Keira laughed as the car accelerated, apparently Thornton really couldn't deal with her at all. She really didn't think she was that bad but apparently he couldn't stand a moment longer than necessary.

"Oh, so you're into that sort of thing? Interesting." Keira asked, glancing at him with a wry smile. Running a hand through her hair, she shook it out before looking at him more. "Go on then, name five things you don't like about me. Apart from the whole I'm a member of the evil Sullivan family, oh woe I might taint you."

"I'm not into that---" James cuts off and just shakes his head. She's just trying to get him riled up. He knows that, and he shouldn't take the bait. Really he's doing her a favor by driving her to the library. The least she could do is, do as he asked and not speak.

He glances over at her for a moment then back at the road. "Why do you even care why I don't like you?" he asks.

"You're seriously far too easy to bait," Keira drawled, a smile on her lips as he cuts himself off. She pulled her legs down, sitting straighter in the seat and trying not to act too much like a brat though the urge to run her feet all along his dashboard was high. "Because. You don't know me and yet you've decided you don't like me. Why is that?"

When she admits that she is simply baiting him into annoyance, all James does is get more annoyed by her. There's something about her that is very plainly irritating, and he doesn't really know why. She removes her feet from his dashboard which only makes him scowl even more because he would have to get his car cleaned. "Why would I like someone who is very obviously doing everything possible to annoy me?" he asks.

"I'm only doing everything possible to annoy me because you're getting annoyed at me for nothing. Are you always this grumpy or do you just save it up for Sullivan's?" Keira asked, smiling as he scowled at her. Spotting the library up ahead, she indicated for him to take the staff reserved spot. After all, she was staff and he was helping her. "You going to be a good, upstanding citizen and help me take them inside? I'll make it worth your while. And that's not me offering to bribe an officer of the law before you jump to conclusions."

That's not true. He's annoyed with her for reasons. Good reasons.

When they pull into the reserved parking, he shuts off his car and just looks at her. "If I don't offer to help you, I doubt you'll let me live it down. So I guess I'm helping," he says, opening the door. "And then we can just go on our merry way."

"You know me oh so well, Detective Grump." Keira dryly replied, sliding out the car and grabbing a handful of books. Taking her keys out, she gestured for him to follow her before opening up the staff door and holding it for him. Even if that did mean he'd have to brush ever so awkwardly up close to her to get past. "You say that like spending time with me is like pulling teeth."

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