[Campustown, near SCCU]

Waiting outside one of the nearby movie theaters, Kenneth peoplewatches with purpose. His eyes continue to stray towards the street clock situated not more than thirty or so feet away before returning to scan the afternoon weekend crowd. Despite the number of people walking to and fro, or waiting in line, the Shadow Lord leans against the building wall with an invisible bubble about him, a shield against the outside.

Stacey walks along through the crowd, hands in the pockets of her grass-stained overalls. She's getting a few curious looks from people, probably wondering where her parents are. The young Ahroun is oblivious to this as she continues on, looking from side to side. Finally she spots the theater and heads toward it.

Kenneth's looking elsewhere when Stacey reaches the theater front. The philodox is easily spottable, being the lone wallflower blooming on the sidewalk garden. He looks distracted as well, expression ever so slightly fixed in a scowl of thought.

Stacey grins as she sees Kenneth and heads over to him. She leans against the wall and glances toward the line before looking up at the Shadow Lord. "Hey, Kenneth. Whatcha thinkin' about?"

Kenneth abruptly breaks in reverie, the mental glass shattering at his name. He looks around for the caller, and then lowers his eyelevel a couple inches to regard the ahroun. "Nothin'," the philodox whitelies poorly. "Didn't think you'd make it." Digging into his pocket, he separates a ticket out and offers it out to the Child.

Stacey smirks and takes the ticket, glancing at it to check the title. "Like hell nothin'," she mutters and then nods to the theater. "And yeah, 'course I made it. Shall we, then?"

Kenneth nods once. As the two head inside, he's even so gallant as to open the door for the ahroun, following her in. The ticket taker, normally oblivious to the passerbys as he checks tickets and directs people to their theaters, has to pause at the sight of the two Garou. One little  brown-haired teen, another taller and definitely angrier looking older teen. Being young himself, Chris the Ticketmaster visibly blanches still, taking the two tickets with a stiffer hand than before. "Brothers Grimm... number thr-- no, five, on your left downstairs."

Stacey thanks Kenneth as he opens the door and smiles sweetly at the ticketmaster as she passes further into the theater. She turns to wait for the Shadow Lord and then heads downstairs. "This ought to be a good one. Always liked fairy-tales."

Kenneth rolls a shoulder as he passes by the ticketmaster, only further unnerving the young man into calling a coworker over so that he could take a quick fiver. The Shadow Lord glances behind him, but turns back to the ahroun, following her towards the theater. "Looked better than the rest," he comments, slowing to look up at the brightly glowing signs proclaiming fresh hot popcorn and cool drinks for a small part of your soul/income. "You want something? We got another fifteen minutes, plus previews."

Stacey stops and looks over at the signs, hesitating a moment as she reads them. "Um... Maybe a drink, if you're getting something. But I don't really need anything."

"Don't be cheap," Kenneth utters evenly, still looking at the signs. "If you're worried about the money, I have enough." The philodox looks down to dig in his pocket, extracting a relatively large wad of small bills. "And you're not gonna get another chance if you turn it down now. So, you want something more than just a drink or what?" Blunt, surly Kenneth offers, but even his offer is crackling electric, dangerous. "How 'bout an Icee."

Stacey glances at the bills, somewhat surprised, and then shrugs, smiling. "Well, all right. An Icee sounds good. And maybe some junior mints?"

Kenneth counts out some bills in a quick estimate, shoves the rest in his pocket, and nods to the ahroun. He proceeds to the concessions, with the cashier at the counter being startled and messing up just once in the order. Somehow, the philodox retains the ice-cold calm, and returns to the fullmoon with a bucket of non-buttered popcorn and a drink in one hand, and a cherry red Icee larger than the Child's head and a box of Junior Mints in the other. And Sour Patch Kids. Which, the Shadow Lord claims as his.

Stacey blinks as Kenneth returns, eyeing the size of the Icee. "Wow, thanks, Kenneth!" She smiles happily, taking the junior mints first to put in her pockets. She then takes the cherry Icee in two hands and turns to start walking again.

"It's nothin'," Kenneth replies, head tilting towards the door. "Let's go in." Traveling in, the Saturday evening crowd. "You gotta preference of where y'wanna sit?"

Stacey heads on into the theater, shaking her head. "Not really, somewhere in the middle, I guess, so the view isn't off-center, ya know? What about you?"

Kenneth shrugs, indicating a no comment. "Center then, Middle-Walker," he puts forth instead, looking out over the decently sized crowd. "The seats here are pretty good." As the philodox climbs up the stairs, it's clear he's not looking for empty seats only, but at the surrounding people within the seats. Those closest to the two Garou on the aisle side get a look at both in the relatively dim lit theater. Some turn to their friends, others just stare forward at the ad-riddled screen.

Stacey smirks at the use of her name and follows Kenneth up the stairs, stepping carefully as she carries the large Icee. "Looks good to me," she agrees, and follows him to the seats. She doesn't glance around much, instead focusing on putting her drink down and getting comfortable. She takes a sip of her drink, watching the TV. "Oh, man, they play previews for TV shows now? And car commercials?"

"Guess so," Kenneth rumbles, looking distractedly from screen to movie crowd, twisting and turning head and body while there's still enough light to see. From the greasy scent of butter floating about to the crisper odor of the Shadow Lord's root beer, everything seems, at least so far, typical movie-going experience. "How long's it been since you saw a movie?" he asks the ahroun, his voice lowering as the lights dim.

Stacey glances over at him, and then takes a look around to see why he keeps looking around. "Hmmm, two years ago, at least. Last time was with my mom and dad, down in California." The lights dim as the previews begin, starting with Tim Burton's The Corpse Bride.

Kenneth hms quietly, going silent as previews begin. The Shadow Lord's attention transfers then to the silver screen, its light reflecting in off his own eyes. In contrast to before, he pays close attention to the films claimed to be Coming Soon, or to be premiered on certain seasons in Winter. It's almost like the ahroun beside him doesn't exist for those fifteen or so minutes.

Stacey goes silent as well, sipping at her Icee. After the first preview is over, she takes out the junior mints, opens the box and pops one in her mouth. Finally, the feature presentation begins. A dark display of opening credits with impressive music leads into a scene that reminds one of Jack and the Bean Stalk.

Kenneth also munches away, popcorn kernel after kernel disappearing gradually. At some point in the beginnings of the movie, though, the halfmoon offers the bucket over. His eyes remain towards the screen.

Stacey hands a small handful of the popcorn, watching the screen intently. She jumps in surprise when the Banshee pops out of no where to attack the brave Grimm Brothers, and then grins as they are victorious and the villagers celebrate.

Kenneth changes little in expressions as he watches on. Munches on, drinks on, chews on... and things are going fine until the inevitable. Somewhere behind the Garou in the theater proper, a cellphone starts its fantasy-breaking ring. People turn, grumbling at the hapless moviegoer and her cellphone. Kenneth's gaze narrows in annoyance as well, but clearly he's trying not to say a single word throughout the event.

Stacey wrinkles her nose at the sound of the cell phone, but she tries to ignore it and takes another sip of her drink. The movie continues as the Grimm Brothers are forced to help yet another village, where it seems little children have gone missing, and is complete with a haunted forest and even a werewolf! At which Stacey just grins.

Wry is the Shadow Lord's expression, the werewolf getting a humored snort from Kenneth as well. It is the story, though, not the special effects, that the halfmoon grabs for, the point out of all the frivolous special effects and possibly bad acting depending on movie critic. The root beer beside him also drains swiftly through the faster paced parts of the movie.

Stacey is almost finished with the junior mints by the time the Grimm Brothers begin to figure out just what is behind all the Bad Things that have been happening, and start to realize just how to bring about their Happily Ever After ending. And soon the movie is speeding towards its completion. Overall a happy ending, although always keeping somewhat dark overtones. The Child nods in satisfaction after the credits begin, smiling.

Kenneth works away at the popcorn and drink until both are precisely reduced to kernels and ice by the end. The sour patch kids bag hasn't been touched, yet. Once the credits begin, the halfmoon remains watching the screen, eyes scanning the names that scroll by. People get up, eager to empty out, the room suddenly rising in volume with babblings. When the special effects team starts to scroll, the Shadow Lord turns to the Child. "What'd you think?"

Stacey nods smiling. "It was pretty good; I liked it. Especially the fur trapper, she was cool: the way she knew the forest and was all confident." She tilts her head. "What about you? Ya like it?"

Kenneth crunches down on the ice in his drink. In reply, he answers, "Didn't hate it." The Shadow Lord then dumps his empty cup into the empty bucket, stretching in his chair. The credits continue rolling, until one of the employees come into the theater and speaks up to the remaining audience. "Can you guys leave? We gotta clean this theater for the next show." Kenneth stops dead in his stretching, looking from screen to employee. His arms lower slowly. People start to get up, acknowledging the request, but the Shadow Lord doesn't budge. "No." He replies, flatly. Loudly. People stop where they are, glancing back.

Stacey glances from Kenneth, to the employees, and then crosses her arms. "We like to watch /all/ of the credits," she says stubbornly. "For trivia pursuit." She then leans back in her chair and takes a sip of her drink.

"Well, you could always look 'em up on IMDB," the employee retorts, leaning on his broom impatiently. Kenneth's stopped watching the screen altogether, black gaze pinned on the employee at the base of the steps. He stands slowly, like a snake uncoiling. "The fuck's your problem?" he spits out, the snarl at the back of his throat. "I fuckin' paid for this movie, and I'm gonna fuckin' watch it All The Way Through. You know what that means? It means that 'til the MPAA symbol comes up, and the lights turn back on, I don't leave my seat unless it's to kick your ass!"

Stacey scowls down at the employee, looking annoyed, although definitely not as incensed as Kenneth. "Why don't ya just leave and come back once it's over. Ya got to have enough time between movies to do your business. Then we'll all be happy, right?" She pops a junior mint in her mouth, her gaze shifting between Kenneth and the employee warily.

The employee, amidst threats, glares and subtle looks of annoyance sent his way finally relents, if reluctantly. Good timing, as the credits do in fact end and the lights fade on again. Now Kenneth and the other young man can see each other better. People this time do start on their way out, but the philodox stands stock still, just shaking ever so slightly.

Stacey stands as the lights come on. She starts to pick up her drink, then decides to leave it. "Hey, let's get going," she says softly. "Take a walk or something."

Kenneth puts a hand down on the back of the empty chair in front of him, leaning as if to start jumping down rows. His eyes lock on their target of the employee, who now has real reason for saying once more, "/Now/ can you leave? We got a theater to clean here." The philodox's lips peel back, twisting into an rather lupine expression of aggression, but otherwise looks like a nastily twisted smile. Stacey doesn't seem to be in the Shadow Lord's radar anymore.

Stacey narrows her eyes as she's ignored and reaches out to set a hand on Kenneth's arm. "Not worth your time, Kenneth," she hisses, keeping her voice low. "Wanna fight something, let's go find a place."

Kenneth tenses at the touch, head whipping around and for the briefest of fleeting moments his look of pure Rage heightens, the Beast reaching his eyes and straining against the chains, snapping at the Child. Eyelids shut quickly after, like twin cage doors slamming down. The muscles in his body relax, and the halfmoon utters a terse grunt followed by a jerked nod.

Stacey clenches her jaw, having to reign in her own rage as she's delivered that look. Without a word, she spins around and walks out of the row, down the stairs, and heads toward the exit that's opposite where the employee is.

Kenneth rips his hand off the seatback he's tightened upon, instead grabbing for the untouched candy bag on his seat. It crinkles to the rough grip, protesting plastic getting shoved deep into his pocket. Wordlessly the Shadow Lord follows the ahroun out as the two exit into the small hallway that leads up towards the main lobby. The stairwell at the side is dimly lit by the bright lights just at the end. "Asshole," the phildox growls soon as they've stepped out into the main lobby, and the sounds of moviegoers and commercials on LCDs blaring over the speakers.

Stacey shoves her hands back into her pockets and slows to walk beside the Shadow Lord once they reach the lobby. "Yeah," she agrees roughly as she heads for the front door. "But the rest was all right, huh? The movie and drinks and all. A change of pace."

Kenneth pauses near the exit, a hand set upon the cushioned wall of the movie theater. "I.. guess," he replies forcibly, looking back behind him with a visible want to go back and beat a head in.

Stacey shoves the door open and holds it, waiting for Kenneth to step out as well. Eyes narrowing as he turns back around. "What should we do now?"

Kenneth's jaw tightens, working itself in inner debate before the willful side wins and he spins back around, heading out. "Something," he answers vaguely, mulled in opinion about future doings. "Let's just... walk." And this time he leads the way, apparently headed for a destination in mind, towards the university.

Stacey lets out a sigh of relief and follows the Shadow Lord, taking a few quick steps to keep up. She walks along with him in silence for a bit, until she finally asks, "Where are we headed?"

"You'll see," Kenneth utters as his reply. His walk is relatively fast in comparison to the people out enjoying themselves or students traveling to and from commons to dorms, to cafes, to wherever. The Shadow Lord is familiar with this territory, leading the ahroun through the back way into one building, down a slightly dark hall made darker by the set of the sun. Soon, the sounds of music coming out of various rooms make it known that the area they're in should be some kind of music building. Kenneth stops at the grey painted door of one room, its window dark. He tries the knob, which at first seems locked, until he jiggles it around here and there. Then it just comes off altogether. "In here," he indicates.

Stacey has to take small, quick steps to keep up with the older Garou. She looks the building over curiously, and somewhat warily. As Kenneth manages to get the door open, she raises a brow. "Huh," is the only comment she offers before stepping inside.

Kenneth waits for the ahroun to step through before replacing the knob - a quick shove of the metal back onto a part sticking out - and stepping in. The Shadow Lord closes the door and plunges them into the dark, before flipping a light switch beside him. When the lights come on, they reveal a smallish sized room full of music instruments, buried beneath them an old, dusty grand piano. The dust is cleared in some spots, indicating fingers have touched places recently. The philodox then sits on the piano's bench, faced towards the ahroun rather than the instrument. "S'quiet in here," he notes.

Stacey turns about the room, looking at the various instruments, and then finally takes up a spot leaning against a wall. "Nice place. Did ya usually come here to practice or just to get away?"

Kenneth gazes about the room, where the faintest sound of people playing in other rooms reaches keener ears. "I never told my adopted parents 'bout comin' here. Pretty much found it one time, after school when I didn't feel like goin' back right away." The philodox then shifts his gaze to the grand piano, fingers brushing the dust off part of the cover. "Used to play, yeah. My real parents.. used t'make me take lessons. Pissed off a good many teachers too."

Stacey nods, looking at the covered piano. "Sometimes ya need a place to get away. That's what I was doing when Alicia found me, wandering through the park, not wanting to go home." She shrugs, glancing at some of the other instruments about the room. "Ya still remember how? I mean, did ya enjoy it at all or were they just lessons?"

Kenneth doesn't answer immediately, eyes cast upon the instrument's dulled glaze and paint. Then he pushes the cover open, turning to sit properly at the bench, fingers spreading out over the keys. He holds them there, silent for a long moment. Then he starts to play. Note by note, the song builds melody over trickling melody. It is a deep, dark classical sonata. As the halfmoon plays, his fingers flow over the keys gently but evoke forceful resonance from the innards of the old piano. He plays on for a time, only fading off in a section of the song where it seems appropriate. "Yeah," he answers finally. "I remember."

Stacey listens as Kenneth plays, watching his fingers dance along the keys. As the song progresses, she leans her head back against the wall and closes her eyes, reopening them when the song begins to fade. "Wow," she says after a moment. "That was good. Really good."

Kenneth brushes the tips of his fingers over the yellowed ivory, looking down at the keys rather than the ahroun. "I hated 'em for making me take lessons. The teachers were always either assholes, or cowards. Guess it's hard to find a good piano teacher in North Carolina." Wetting his lips, the philodox exhales lowly. "So, yeah. I come out here sometimes. It's a risk... since Will and Lily are out here on weekends. Bible studies on campus." He glances back to the ahroun. "But, it's better than lying around, being bummed."

Stacey tilts her head. "Yeah, I guess I'd hate to be forced into something, too. Guess I'm just lucky I ended up loving gymnastics. So... Who are Will and Lily? Your adopted parents?"

Kenneth nods once, slowly, head slung low. "If y'ever hear about Pastor Kingston, yeah. And his wife. Fellowship of Campus Christians meets out here on campus, Fridays, Saturday nights, and Will sometimes preaches on Sundays at the main church out in Kent Crossing." He glances up, eyes evaluating the ahroun for any sort of reaction.

Stacey nods and then smiles, not showing recognition. "We weren't very religious," she offers apologetically. "Spiritual, maybe, about the earth and the environment..." She smirks. "Very Gaian, huh? So... How did you end up with adopted parents way out here? I mean, why not Carolina?"

Kenneth leans back on the piano bench, gaze returning to the keys. "We moved out here, from there... little under three years ago. There's an FCC back in Carolina, but the branch here asked Will for help." He rubs at the back of his neck, the gesture causing his neckchain to clink against the rings. "I didn't want to move. But then.. I didn't want to do anything back then."

Stacey ahs, glancing about the room. "We'd just moved here a little over a year ago. Things just weren't the same anymore. Dad felt we needed a change to start moving on. I didn't want to leave either, hated that we did. So... do they think you're missing? Or dead?"

Kenneth shrugs, hands thunking on the keys and causing a flat, dischordant ring. "I don't know. I want to say they're probably glad I'm gone, since I fought all the time with Jenna an' Mark. But they're not the type to give up like that. I mean.. they're believers in God. They got faith."

Stacey nods. "It's hard to give up on people, when you're used to clinging to faith and hope," she says, then sighs. "Well, it's getting late, think we should head out before there's danger of running into them?"

Kenneth, upon the suggestion of danger, looks behind him towards the darkish window that shows out towards the hallway. He answers, but his reply is slow in coming. "How 'bout just one more song, an' we'll out after?" Black eyes turn back to the ahroun.

Stacey grins and motions toward the piano. "Sure, go ahead. I'd like to hear another, honestly." Although the girl does glance toward the window again before settling back to listen.

Kenneth nods again, turning back to the grand piano and running his fingertips over the ivory keys. Then, he starts playing, losing himself once more in the melodies that call upon memories and deeper emotions. Another classical song, deep and shifting from dark to light and settling in the twilight in between treble and bass in a way only the composers of old had figured out. At some points, Kenneth nearly closes his eyes as he plays, not needing to watch his fingers, relying on the memory hidden in the muscles and mind. When the song ends, the halfmoon lifts his hands from the keys and carefully closes the cover. He stands, pushing the bench back into its original place and replacing the instruments that had been set atop it. "Alright. Let's head back," he says afterwards, significantly calmer.