If there's no laws, then he's not breaking them

[deepunder]

After giving Caroline the idea of what they could do to find the guy she's looking for, how could he not agree to help? Not that it feels like it is going to be much work. Except they don't know how many of the pod people workers there are, and just how much they're being watched over.

He does keep his phone in his pocket, wrapped in a handkerchief because he's just paranoid enough to worry that somehow they're being listened in on or tracked through them. Lounging against the front of the front desk, trying to look entirely casual. He's much better undercover than he might seem since he looks so conspicuous as he nods at some of the others moving through the hotel.

Here he is a zombie, and it still feels crazy that he's looking out so Caroline can try and find a vampire who might be hiding in the hotel. What else is real? He's not sure he's ready to find out.

Comments

[pirateing]

"I - I haven't checked," he says, glancing down at his phone. "And now I kind of don't want to. Check for me?" he says, unlocking the phone with his thumb and handing it over. "And, if it is as bad as a random picture taken from a random angle probably would be, you have my permission for a retake. I'm -- presentable."

[deepunder]

Drake takes the phone, pulling open the messenger and seeing the picture there. He stares at it for a minute, looking down and then up with a tiny smile.

"It's a license picture," he says from their earlier talk. "But taken from under the chin," he adds, because that never flatters anyone. "And you're definitely presentable."

He lifts the phone, shifting it just right to get the lighting done. He hadn't been huge on social media because of being undercover but he had known a few friends that had taught him some tricks.

[pirateing]

Oh. Now.

He turns, tries to -- angle himself.. well. Attempts a suave smile that's probably more goofy than suave. But.

"How's this?"

[deepunder]

Lifting the phone just right, Drake finds himself staring at Xander. Loving that smile, the way he poses. For the longest time he just finds himself staring at the other man, forgetting about the picture for a few minutes before he manages to clear this throat.

"Right. Picture. Uhmmm, you look really good. I like it," he says, taking a few pictures. "There, now you have options."

[pirateing]

Xander falters, only slightly, because it's taking a long time.

"Is it in focus?"

And then - was he -- staring?

"Great," he says, taking the phone back.

Behind them, someone clears her throat, physical file in hand.

"Am I interrupting a surprise photo session?"

[deepunder]

Great. So now he's been caught staring. Lovely. Yep, who wants a zombie staring at them? Fuck, he probably thinks he's hungry. Damn it.

And then he's startling like he's been shot, spinning around, wide eyed and comically startled. "What? Huh? Nope, just fixing the bad surprise front facing camera picture, that's all."

[pirateing]

Caroline's hadn't been that bad, but Caroline has no bad angles.

"Mhm." By having a photo session.

"He was fixing my license-worthy profile picture." Which... wasn't a compliment. License pictures. Yich. "Caroline, what... what's back there?"

[deepunder]

"But their little joke isn't working anymore. All fixed, and all good," he says with a nod. Yep, that's it.

The question though reminds him why he was there at the desk and it wasn't to be flirting with Xander.

"Caroline is kind of the friend I was waiting on? While she looked through records," he says, feeling a bit sheepish for lying to Xander about it but he hadn't wanted to make a big deal about it.