#anywhere

At the Gonzalez household, there's a thumping at a door

"Fine, Mama, I got it..." Lupita says, wondering what's the point of being a werewolf if your mom can still use you for odd tasks. She opens the door and...stares at the flowers.

"Hey," Dirk says holding up the roses and pointsettas and stuff

"What the hell is this?" She eyes the bouquet.

"It's flowers.. I picked red ones. Reminded me of blood." He says

"I know they're flowers, but ..." A nose wrinkle "Why?"

"It's Valentine's day... figured I'd ask you out... this seems stupid, but then I realized that for these flowers to be carried like this, they had to be killed.. that made it more bad ass" He eyes the severed stems rather than the blossoms

"God you're weird. Look,I'm sorry our prom didn't go well, but you don't owe me a full date just because... you know.the thing"

'Nah, it was great.. only sad part is we idn't get to see you cut loose" Dirk says with a grin "Wouldahavebeenaweesome"

"Wait, you're... you're like.. uhm.. do you know a Dagmar?' Whispered using THAT name

"Course I know her, we both do she..." Then The redcap thinks on it "ooooo, right." He winks a bit TOO deliberately

"So you're..." She bites her lips and makes whhat she hopes are pixie wing like motions at her shoulders.

"A peformance artist? No.. I'm straight" He says

"No now that, you dork, are you .. like her?" A cough

"oh.. .I'm not supposed to talk about that... but kinnda, yeah, but cooler" He assures

"Uh huh" she says eying flowers again, and she takes them. "Look, I'm dangerous."

"I know" He says eyes brightening

"Like in it could get someone killed? " she warns "I'm still learning to control..well an anger issue"

"Hey, you don't have to keep pointing out the cool stuff, I'm already asking you out," Dirk nods "So you wanna go somewhere? Sometime? Pizza? Bashing mailboxes? "

"No.. I mean, who bashes mailboxes?" She rolls her eyes "And... Pizza is okay I .wait, what am I saying? Look, I'm sure you're a nice guy. deep down inside"

"Nah.. I'm kind of an asshole" he says "And I like bullying people. It's fun" He nods

"Wow.." She purses her lips for a moment "You really do not know how to sell yourself?"

This seems to blue screen him for a second, but he defrags enough to say "Wait, GUYS can charge too? I thought it was the other way around"

Lupita rolls her eyes "Oh god."

"Hey, who is this?" Another figure, and older brohter, but hten they're all older.

"This is Dirk. He's from my school.... I got this, Tonio. He's asking me out" She takes the flowers "Brought me flowers. I was just going to tell him..."

"No." Tonio says "Tell him no. You are WAY too young for dating , hermana." Then he looks to Dirk "Beat it, man."

It is hard to say whose eyes light up more... the redcap's, or Lupita's.

Lupita gets ready to tell her brother to kiss off, she'll handle her own love life...

but then Dirk is eyeing the much older teenager "you know what a rabbit punch is? It like...to the back of the head or like the bottom of the skull... hits hard, sudden.." Dirk pops his neck for emphasis his eyes boring into Tonio "Its dangerous, becauuce like it gimps you... your brain is in its box, but the wires are fucked... so the brain screams and screams orders... and the rest of your body, from the head down? it don't hear nothing...so you wait for your mama to wipe your ass and feed yo ua sippy cup... for the rest of your years. We're young, ain't we, dude? Got decades together in this area. Aren't you glad you don't gotta spend it in a chair?"

Tonio steps back, eyes wide...and...trips over something falling down some steps at the split level "Shit shit shit"

Gonzalez has gone from out raged, to confused then.. "Tonio? Did.. did you pee yourself a little I smell... are you okay?"

"I'm FINE!" hurt dignity.. "Just fine I .. I just gotta do things." A groan and sound of footsteps

"So, you wanna go?" The redcap askks, brow beat off.

"You just threatened to sever my brother's SPINE" She says "I do not believe you"

"No, I just said how lucky we were no one was going around doin rabbit punches" He asserts then in a lower voice "Sides, that's what I do. i'm that 'type'. Dagmar's type is all strong protective.. i'm a monster. I scare things."

"You can scare my brothers?" she says incredullous

"Just did. Bring out the other three... " He pops his knuckles with both hands "I'll show ya"

"No no i just..." She looks at him "I don't even like you."

"No one likes monsters" he responds "But they do find em interesting. You find me interesting? Say yes? or say no. My ass is freezing and I'm not sure why it's so hard to just say one or the other"

A thoughtful look "Fine, bowling alley.. Saturday at 100. We go dutch for the shoes, you pay for the pizza. I reserve the right to bring a friend or not, and I willl arrrange for a text to come up with a bullshit exccuse to leave if yo uget too creepy, okay?"

"That's fair" he nods 'bowling huh?"

"Take it or leave it" she warns

"Okay, okay. See you there" He says with a nod "Maybe we'll get lucky and someone will give us shit and you ccan wolf out and slap em around"

"Hey, lower your voice, okay?" Lupita hisses "And that's the OPPOSITE of what I'm supposed to do."

"Okay, fine I'll slap em around...but Rover Olgar would say that's not very progressive. I'm supposed to like, respect chicks and recognize your woman rawrhood orwhatever... and if you DO decide to decapitate someone, I WILL support you..because- awesome"

"rover?" she says confused, then eyes narrow "is that dog dig?"

"Nooo" He winces "It's a secret thing... like... not dog at all Shit. I'm saying too much. No this has nothing to do with you turning itno what you do..which is so much cooler than a dog. So.. pick you up or meet you there?"

"Meet me there" she says and then "Thanks for the flowers" She closes the door on his face

"huh..." He says as the door closes in his face then "Cool. " A deep breath, and only now does he let any nervousness show