Cosmo Manhattan's Story

"The Devil's Takin' Names" by: the Lawrence Arms blares over a set of smaller speakers, which sit precariously on the edge of a stack of books. With each beat they seem more and more likely to topple off the pile of cummings and Bukowski collections and fall to the floor. Luckily, they don't.

Laughing and crying are almost the same.
They just let everyone know how much attention you're paying.
So dry those eyes, everyone else went back inside.

Cosmo Manhattan lies on his bed, arms tucked behind his head, singing along loudly with the music. The song starts to fade out when he is startled by a loud knocking on the door. With a sigh, he rolls off the bed and walks over. His apartment manager, an aging man with thin, dark hair and a bald spot forming on the top of his head, glares at him as soon as he opens the door.

"Rent's due."

"I don't have it."

"What do you mean, you don't have it? I gave you an extra two weeks, Cosmo."

"I just don't have it." Cos continues lying. He does have it. In fact, he has more than enough to pay his rent. But this is all part of the plan - his plan, a plan that is not a plan at all, but simply a step towards no plans.

The manager sighs loudly. "Look, you've been late for a few months now... and now this? I hate to do it, but I'm giving you two days to get your stuff out. And then I need the key back."

Cosmo doesn't even bother feigning concern. "Okay." He replies, shutting the door in the man's face, just as the next song hits.

I was lost on the airplanes.
I was high on the fast trains.
My heart was a bird in a small cage.
And I was drunk on the radio waves.
I was drunk, I was drunk on the radio waves.

Cosmo smiles to himself as he starts packing his things - well, some of his things, the necessities. He has no intention of taking anything else with him. This has been the plan all along, since he received Kathryn's invitation. As the Lawrence Arms continue to play, he finishes up and then heads for the door. With a quick look behind him, he throws his hood over his head and leaves. London awaiting him.

"Alert the Audience" by the Lawrence Arms starts playing on the small iPod that Cosmo has in his right pocket. The sounds of the song move up the wires of the headphones and eventually out and into his ears. From there, the music flows throughout his body as he walks, his mind wandering as the song picks up.



Up until a few blocks back, Cos had been sitting in the back of a cab, his headphones lying on his lap. A conversation had started with the driver, but nothing of any importance. Mainly small talk and chit chat. Suddenly, Cosmo had been struck with the feeling that he needed to be out and walking. So, he had the man pull over about four blocks from his destination - Kathryn's flat.

His steps are fluid and smooth as he walks, now within sight of the house. Standing on the steps, leaned against the railing is a young man with dark hair, smooth skin and a disparaged look in his eyes. Cos knew this look well. As he comes closer, he notices the flickering of a lighter - red and white - and how it seems to transfix the young man.

"Nice lighter," he says as he comes to a stop at the bottom of the steps. "The name's Cosmo, but most people just call me Cos. So," he looks at the door, "been here long?"

”I had to get away from my town.” Lils said, “Hope you’ll okay with that, I’m not sure if I actually told Kathryn that I was coming". Jams nodded to Lilia and smiled. "Fair enough. And don't worry about that. Kat's expecting everyone to make an entrance". She'd never been one to keep to her little appointments, if appointments they may be called, but she figured she might aswell try a little harder this time, and actually turn up when expected to.

She ran her fingers through her bright red hair and huffed as she pulled out a twig and threw it to one side. "Gross.. Don't you just hate being thrown out of a window?" She asked rhetorically, soon followed by an emotionless chuckle. Jams pulled her ripped jacket back over her shoulder and began to scuffle her feet around uncomfortably. Her knee was still hurting. Despite the fact that it wasn't hurting as bad anymore, she still figured that maybe she could get Jord or Kat to take a look for her.

Jams flinched as she heard her name being called. For that split second she thought it was her father who'd realised he had made a mistake in letting her be free and was coming to drag her back to that damned house. She turned her head, and sighed in relief as she saw Panda running up to them. "Jammers!" She called, before pulling Jams into a hug. She chuckled and when released from the hug she wrapped her arm around Panda's neck as she greeted Lilia.

She stayed silent for a moment, then flinched again as the front door was opened with unbelievable force. "Woah," She whispered. "People!" Kat yelled, before inviting them in and rushing back into the living room. She managed to hold back a giggle as she pushed past Jord who stood in the doorway, looking startled. She too walked into the living room, only she kind of scurried past him.

Everyone started rambling about other things for a moment. Jams didn't get involved, she was too busy inspecting every corner of Kat's house, marvelling at its beauty. She ran her finger slowly across the window sill. There were a few jagged areas, but aside from that it was pretty smooth. She was lost in her thoughts, until she was brought back to reality by two words; 'weekly payments'.

Jams understood that Kat couldn't afford to have everyone living in her home for free, but it would be extremely hard for her because she didn't have a job. She didn't qualify for a job. She'd got mainly E's and D's on her exams because she was too busy taking drugs and drinking alcohol to care about anything to do with school. Despite this, she nodded and returned to her thoughts.

There was a knock at the door, which Jams thought she'd get because she'd already wandered into the hallway and was standing about a meter away. She opened the door and smiled, seeing Lyfe and Cosmo standing and chatting. "Hi, guys" She greeted them, "Come on in. Everyone's in the living room, waiting for you".

Lyfe's thoughts were drifting away with the light breeze as he let the fire in his hands amuse him. He imagined himself being engulfed by it, but instead of feeling pain...he would feel at peace. He would let the heated tendrils around him like a blanket. He was in a daze, already wishing that his imagination would turn into a reality. Lyfe was snapped out of his own mind when he spotted movement in his peripheral vision. "Nice lighter," a dark haired stranger spoke. Lyfe inwardly groaned because he was pulled away from his personal Wonderland. He didn't acknowledge the stranger, just stared at the lighter's radiant energy. "The name's Cosmo, but most people just call me, Cos." Lyfe said nothing, just continued his staring as if he were craved from stone. "So, been here long?" It was then that Lyfe finally moved. He flicked the lighter off then swiftly glanced at Cosmo.

"Long enough," he said monotonously. His face conveyed absolutely nothing neither did his deep resonating voice. His bland look would be considered rather disturbing to most people, and he never realized how unapproachable he looked to others and he didn't relatively give a damn. He stuffed the lighter into his pocket and ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. His distant eyes were torn from Cosmo when the sound of Jamie's voice reached Lyfe's ears. He turned his head, looking at the red haired girl, but it looked like he was looking through her. He didn't spare another glance at Cosmo as he made his way into the flat. He brushed pass Jamie and stopped just as their shoulders touched. He stared at her red locks, admiring the color. He liked the flame-like qualities that her tendrils possessed. Absentmindedly, Lyfe twisted a lock of her hair around his forefinger, letting the silky strands fall from his finger.

"I like your hair," he said bluntly and emotionless. Without waiting for her to reply, he walked deeper into the flat. When he spotted Kat and the others, he gave them a silent wave. He then sat down on the floor and leaned his head against the wall. Giving Kat a sideways look he said, "My neighbors are shagging, so I'll need to sleep here for the night. We all know that Dana is a screamer." Lyfe closed his eyes and rubbed his face. "Do you happen to have any coffee? If so, please bring it forth. Jamie knows how I prefer my drink. Thank you." He rested his head against the wall, staring at the ceiling as still as a statue.

"Long enough," the man says in a monotonous tone, with a undertone of annoyance. Damn kid, sorry. Cos thought to himself. Was just bei-- His thoughts are cut short by the swift opening of the door. He looks up to see a fair skinned, red headed young woman smiling back at them warmly.

She motions for them to enter, saying, "Everyone's in the living room, waiting for you." She's an attractive young woman, with playful eyes and soft round cheeks. Though he doesn't know her, Cosmo flashes a quick, friendly smile as he steps through the door, his bag slung over his shoulders and the music - a Hot Water Music song, at this moment - still coming, somewhat audibly, from his headphones.



Save for Kathryn, Cos doesn't immediately recognize most the people in the room, though they all seem friendly enough. He takes a seat off to the side, setting his bag down beside him and glancing around the room. The group seems to have been in the middle of a discussion concerning a sort of weekly rent. He sits and listens, before speaking up during a lull in the conversation. "Just let me know how much you need, Kat."

Kathryn's gaze shifted to Lilia as she questioned the amount of money to be paid per week. Quite honestly, she wasn't so sure what everyone else was capable of paying. "Around £20 per week, £10 being the minimum if anyone is having trouble paying. No payments are required as of yet, and they will be held off for a few weeks so that anyone who doesn't have any money can go and find a job or something".

It was then that there was a knock on the door. Jordan walked forward to answer it, but it appeared as if Jamie had already done so, and was greeting them. He returned to his place in the living room doorway, leaning up against the frame with his arms crossed. He watched as Cos and Lyfe entered the house. Lyfe's actions made him chuckle inaudibly. The two walked past him and took their places in the living room. Jordan turned to Jamie and shook his head, before he too walked inside.

"My neighbours are shagging, so I'll need to sleep here for the night. We all know that Dana is a screamer." Lyfe said, "Do you happen to have any coffee? If so, please bring it forth. Jamie knows how I prefer my drink. Thank you". Both Kat and Jord stared at him with a blank expression. "Right.." Jordan mumbled.

"Just let me know how much you need, Kat." Cos said. Kathryn automatically assumed he was referring to the rent payments. "£10-20 per week, starting in exactly 4 weeks".

Jordan cleared his throat to draw the attention to him. He clapped his hands together and stood next to Kathryn. "Now, onto the rooms. There are 4 rooms in this house, each with their own private bathroom. Because of this, you will need to decided who you would prefer to share a room with and partner up. Me and Kat have already chosen eachother because we both have similar habits and routines. Who you share with is totally up to you, so.. Yeah".

Jamie tried to avoid staring at Lyfe as he entered, but just couldn't resist it when he stopped just beside her. Her dark brown eyes trailed up and down his face, examining his features. He began to fiddle with her hair and she had to stop herself from blushing. "I like your hair," He said, before walking into the living room. Jamie stood in absolute silence from then on, not even bothering to acknowledge the fact that Cosmo had entered.

What an odd thing to happen. What an odd man. Never before in all their years of knowing eachother had Lyfe ever done that. Then again, her hair had only been so brightly dyed for a week or so. After a few moments of standing still, staring out of the door and into the streets of London, she closed it and made her way into the living room. She heard Lyfe mention something about his neighbours, which quite frankly didn't at all interest her. She only really listened when he asked for a drink, that she supposedly was going to make so perfectly. 'Oh, great' Jamie thought, rolling her eyes.

Without a word, she walked out of the living room and entered a few minutes later with a lime green cup, full with piping hot coffee. She gently passed it to Lyfe, making sure he could get to the handle when he reached out for it. "Here you go," She mumbled, "Your coffee". Once the cup was out of her hands, she took a seat on one of the sofas and exhaled deeply.

'You're such a push-over. Just say no the next time. You're not a maid' A voice deep in her mind said to her. Jamie frowned, 'I'm not.. He never said I was' She protested, 'I wanted to'. The voice spoke again, 'Liar'. Jamie shook her head and watched the others as they carried on with their conversations. Now they were expecting her to pick a partner, or some weird crap like that, to share a room with. That would be fun. She'd most likely just wait until everyone else had picked a partner, and just go with whoever was left. That seemed like the better option.

Lyfe gratefully took his coffee, feeling the warm radiating from the cup. He glanced up at Jamie and lowly said, "Thank you." He took a hardy gulp, letting the liquid sear his throat. He flinched, but recovered quickly as he rested the cup on his lap. He listened to his companions talking, occasionally taking sips of coffee.

"I don't really care who I share a room with," he shrugged. "If anyone doesn't want to share with me then I'll sleep on the couch." He closed his eyes and rested them, for they burned from his lack of blinking. "I'll help with the rent if you let me stay here sometimes. My flat isn't the most desirable location to reside. I'll even pay for the groceries that I eat here. Don't want to be a burden and whatnot." He opened eyes, letting his hazel eyes rest on Kat. "I mean, if it's okay with you, Kat." Lyfe licked his lips before drinking more coffee. He crossed his legs underneath him with his mouth pulled into a tight line. He started to fiddle with his thumbs while staring at the cup's content.

"£10 to £20 a week, starting in exactly four weeks." Kathryn stated, in response to his question. Cos nodded as the conversation continued.

"Now, onto the rooms. There are 4 rooms in this house, each with their own private bathroom. Because of this, you will need to decided who you would prefer to share a room with and partner up. Me and Kat have already chosen eachother because we both have similar habits and routines. Who you share with is totally up to you, so.. Yeah". Jordan added.

Cos looked around at everyone. Someone mentioned drawing straws, and Cos turned to her. She had blonde hair and shimmering eyes, and Cos noticed, a sort of reclusive look, but with a subtle hint of longing. Perhaps she's afraid of the world, Cos thought to himself. I don't blame her. It's a messed up place, sometimes. He nodded slightly to himself, somehow feeling that they might share some of the same fears. As she finished, the young woman looked around, and caught Cos looking at her. He shrugged slightly and gave a flash of a smile that seemed to say, Wanna room up?

As soon as the door is shut behind them, Pandora is unzipping the "Mom approved" skirt and letting it fall to the floor. She had a leather mini skirt on underneath. She also pulls the cardigan off to reveal a low cut lacy red top. "Fucking finally." She pulls at the clip in her hair and shakes her hair free. "I swear if I had to keep that outfit on any long I was going to jump into the Thames." She smiles.

When Kat started explaining the conditions for them staying her she nodded. £20 was nothing, she knew her mom was going to keep putting money in her account for her shopping money and she could use the portion her mom expects her to use for donations at the church she's suppose to be attending.


"Hey Jammers, you wanna room up?" Panda smiles at her. She wasn't sure if Lils was serious about drawing straws or not, but just in case she wanted to room with someone she could actually handle.

Jamie was pulled from her thoughts by an all too familiar voice; "Hey Jammers, you wanna room up?" asked Panda. Without even the slightest of hesitations, Jamie looked up and nodded, returning Panda's smile warmly. She was one of Jamie's closest friends within the group, of course including Kathryn, and one of the only people she could completely trust.

One thing to catch Jamie's eyes was Panda's sudden change in clothing, which made her giggle slightly. It must've been hard coming from such a home, where you're expected to perfect at all times, a little angel that your parents could rely on. She figured Panda just wasn't suited for that lifestyle. She wanted to be free. Jamie's homelife was completely the opposite. She was practically like a servant to her drunken, abusive father. Freedom wasn't an option for her either, and that's why she tried her best to annoy him. If she hadn't, she would still be stuck back at her house.

Jamie forced herself to stand up, before walking out of the living room and up the hall, having a tight hold on the duffel bag that was draped over her shoulder. She opened one of the doors, but realised that it was Kat and Jord's because it had all their belongings in it. She opened the next door, and stepped inside. It was empty, apart from having a wardrobe, bed, desk, bed-side table and a shelf on either side. Jamie wandered around the room, her eyes examining each and every object that Kat had left out for them.

She dropped her duffel bag on the bed. Slowly she lifted up the blanket and patted the mattress to test how soft it was, only to find that it was as amazing as she'd expected, especially compared to the mattress she'd been sleeping on every night for the past years of her life. That one had loose springs, lumps and a rough texture, it was horrible. Jamie allowed the blanket to drop back to the mattress, before she sat down on the corner and huffed.

'I suppose I should get unpacked and return to the others' She thought, 'But I guess I could just stay in here for a while. It wouldn't do any harm.. I don't think so, anyway'.

The corner's of Kathryn's lips dragged themselves upwards into a smile, her eyes falling on Lyfe as he spoke. "You can stay as long as you like, Snow. I don't mind, so long as you pay your time per week," she said. Her attention was then drawn to Lilia as she spoke about drawing straws as an alternative to actually pairing up, but after an exchanging of looks between her and Cos it seemed like she wasn't sticking with that plan. Kathryn smirked, soon followed by a small, inaudible chuckle. Jamie and Panda had also paired up, and Jamie exited the room.

The only three of them left in the room by this point; Kathryn, Lyfe and Cosmo, as Jordan had wandered off to the kitchen for a snack and a drink. "Well, looks like you're going to be sharing a room with Teddy," Kathryn said to Lyfe, "Should be fun". She actually thought that was one of the worst pairings out of the group. The excitable, joyous one, mixed with the emotionless, miserable one. Fun.

Jordan entered the living room, equipped with a ham and cheese sandwich, and a carton of orange juice. He sipped the juice from the carton and grinned at the two. "I was thinking we could have some sort of welcome party, to get you used to living here," he suggested, "How better to get you used to a new home than to throw a huge house party?".

Kathryn squinted momentarily. "Yeah.. house party. Lots of drugs, alcohol.. and mess," she mumbled, before obviously faking a 'yay' and sitting down on the sofa. Usually she was up for parties, but one in her own home wouldn't be as fun, especially not in the morning. It was at times like this that she wished she had enough money to keep a large, 4 bedroom house with nice food shopping and a maid to clean the place. It all just seemed like a distant dream.. A maid, must've been nice to have one around.

Jordan nodded. "So, it's set. I'll go tell the others". He then exited the living room and went into the hallway. He inhaled deeply, before screaming out a few words at the top of his lungs, to save time and energy. "House party tonight. Prepare yourselves!".

"House party tonight! Prepare yourselves!"

Cos chuckles to himself; something about the excitement in Jordan's voice, mixed with the "I'm-not-too-sure-about-this" look on Kathryn's face. Grabbing the bag he brought with him, Cos stands up. "Well, I guess I'll go unpack and get ready." He says before exiting the room with a slight wave. He pats Jordan on the shoulder as he passes in the hallway, "Should be fun."

As he enters his new room, he realizes that he never properly introduced himself to his new roommate. Setting his bag on the bed beside him, he sits down and starts pulling out a few things - a couple of Charles Bukowski Poem Collections, a copy of John Knowles' A Separate Peace, and a small sketchpad and pencil. Throwing the bag to the floor, he speaks. "My name's Cosmo, by the way. But you can call me Cos." He pauses. "Just so you know, I thought you'd be a good roommate. You seem like a more laid back person, and kind of quiet. I like quiet." Adding quickly, "Not that you have to be quiet... I just mean that you don't seem too intrusive, is all. With that being said, if there's anything you want to know, just ask. And by all means, let me know if I start to annoy you." He laughs to himself. "I'm assuming you heard Jordan's announcement?"

"House parties, I thought I ran away from those." Cos sits, watching as his new roommate speaks softly. Grabbing her bag, she starts taking out a few things, and Cos' notices a few books on Astronomy. He smiles a little to himself. Well that's kind of interesting, he thinks as she continues. "Oh, I almost forgot, Lilia, though some call me Lils. I don't have a preference, really. It's a pleasure to meet you, Cosmo." Cosmo starts to say that it is a pleasure for him, as well, when she adds quickly, "A cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system..." Her voice trails off slightly, then stops. Gathering the books together and setting them on the table, she speaks again, in a slightly louder voice. "I am quiet, though some might just think of me as discreet in some ways, or cautious, I'm not exactly a social butterfly I suppose." She shrugs.

There is silence for a minute or so, as the two continue unpacking their things and going about their own personal business. Eventually, Cos stands up and walks over to the window, looking out. The streets are almost empty, all of the people having gone home to be with family or friends or perhaps just alone. For a minute, Cosmo thinks about all of these people, and how they each have their own little world and how vastly different that world must be from his. Then he thinks about Lilia, and how she, also, has her own little world that is vastly different than his. And so does everyone else in this house, he continues thinking.

Then, suddenly, perhaps to simply stop himself from thinking, he speaks, keeping his eyes focused out the window, "The origins of my name are anything but orderly, or harmonious. To be honest, the way by which I received my name is lined with entropy." He pauses, shooting Lilia a quick look. She continues tending to her belongings, but she's listening. Turning to look out of the window again, Cos continues. "I didn't know my mother. My birth mother, that is. She died giving birth to me. But, they say that with her last breath, she uttered the word 'Cosmo,' and so... that's what they named me." He shakes his head slightly. "Everyone's pretty much in agreement that she said it randomly, as the medical records indicate she was on several drugs when she went into labor - the fact that I was born healthy came as a bit of a surprise. Still," he pauses. "I like to believe that she said it because that's what she saw... an orderly and harmonious system; a cosmos. I like to believe she saw something beautiful before she died."

As he finishes, Cosmo turns from the window and walks back to his bed. He grabs his bag off the floor and plucks a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from inside and slides them in his pocket. "I'm going to go have a smoke," he says, starting towards the door. He stops short, placing his hands on the door frame, and adds, "I'm not sure about you, but I've always found it easier to be comfortable when I know something about someone and they know nothing about me. So... hopefully that'll help."

Flashing a smile, Cosmo leaves the room and heads down the hallway. He searches for the back door and finds it rather quickly. Opening it, he heads outside. Once out, he retrieves the pack of cigarettes and lighter from his pocket and plucks a cigarette from the pack. Tossing it between his lips he lights it and inhales deeply, as he takes a seat on the grass. Lying down on his back, he tucks his arms under his head and releases a cloud of smoke upwards into the sky.

Jordan figured he'd got his message across, since everyone must've heard him shouting about the house party to come. He felt a slight tap on his shoulder, before hearing "Should be fun" from Cosmo, who then proceeded past him and towards the room that Lilia had chosen. "It will be fun. I will make it fun," he replied, pointing a finger at Cosmo and he entered his room. Lyfe then exited in silence, which was quite strange to Jordan. Never before had he made friends with anyone who was so silent and emotionless, which was why Lyfe wasn't particularly his favourite out of the group.

Kathryn stepped out into the hallway and stood next to Jordan, "Looks like it's just us for a bit," she mumbled, "Might aswell start organising the event". She grabbed the scruff of his shirt and dragged him into the living room, causing him to he reply with a small groan. He loved parties, but not Kathryn's whole 'let's plan!' thing. He didn't see why she couldn't just get some alcohol and dance around a bit. Knowing her, she was most likely going to get out the Twister and force everyone to play until they passed out. Fun.

They both took a seat next to eachother on the sofa, and began to discuss where they were going to get the supplies from. "Don't you have some sort of secret liquor cabinet that your dad always used to use when your parents would visit?" asked Jordan out of pure curiosity, to which she nodded. It was then that Lyfe's voice broke through their thoughts; "I'm bored," he said, "So, a party, huh? I'll get the booze, if someone goes with me. Someone else will need to get the snacks and other stuff".

Kathryn smiled, "Thanks, but we have the majority of the drinks sorted, although you're always free to get more if you would like. We have plenty of snacks here. Oh, and drugs," she said. Jordan stood up and took out his wallet, taking out quite a few notes. He passed him the £200. "Get as much as you can for this amount. Again, you're always free to get extra, but it'll cost you your own money".

Jordan noticed that Lilia had also entered the room, so he sat back down. "I’m going out for a quick walk, but while I’m out, do you want me to buy anything for the party?” she asked. Kathryn and Jordan both shook their heads simultaneously. "Nope, everything is pretty much sorted. Apart from the music, but Kat's got that sorted".

Lyfe glanced at Pandora then at Cosmo. He shrugged and muttered under his breath about how he wished he had bought his own money. He sighed-which he seemed to be doing a lot of lately-as he rubbed his face. "Okay, UV Blue on the list, Cosmo, I was going to get more than spliff anyway. I know a guy. If you want to join, then join, I'll need more places to hide the stuff anyway, so I'll take all the pockets that I can get." He held his hand out to Cosmo for the money. "I'll be buying the drinks first, then I'll meet up with my dealer. I'll warn you that it's a pretty distant walk. If you're still interested in coming, then let's go. I want to get this over with so I could get drunk." His tone was it's usual monotone bluntness, but his need for a drink was slowly increasing, so it had a bit of an edge to it. He placed one hand into his pocket and waited for the money. "There is a bottle of gray goose with my name on it."

Jamie awoke from her slumber, slowly lifting her head up as she heard Lyfe yelling about drugs. The party was getting more and more appealing to her now, even more so because she had a secret stash hidden away in her father's house. It was a risky job, but she needed the content of that stash, if it was going to be any sort of fun for her. Hesitantly, she got up, fixed her hair, unlocked the door and ran downstairs.

She entered the living room. "I have some stuff," she said, "but I'll need an extra pair of hands for.. y'know, protection". She figured everyone else had their own stuff to sort, but Jordan she could take. She knew he didn't even enjoy planning parties, so he would be the most likely to accompany her. "Jordan, you're up". She gestured for him to follow her as she exited the building.

Jamie began to walk in the direction of her father's house, her hands hidden within her pockets and her head tilted towards the floor.

"Okay, UV Blue on the list, Cosmo, I was going to get more than spliff anyway. I know a guy. If you want to join, then join, I'll need more places to hide the stuff anyway, so I'll take all the pockets that I can get." He held his hand out to Cosmo for the money. "I'll be buying the drinks first, then I'll meet up with my dealer. I'll warn you that it's a pretty distant walk. If you're still interested in coming, then let's go. I want to get this over with so I could get drunk."

"Sure, I don't mind a walk. And I've got pockets." Cosmo replies to Lyfe, as he hands him a few bills. "I'll be right back."

Cosmo exits the room quickly, heading to his bedroom. Grabbing his bag, he fishes around and grabs packet of papers and a small bag of marijuana. Plucking one of the papers out, he tosses the packet back on the bed, as he spreads some green over the paper. Twisting it between his fingers, he licks it and seals it shut. He tucks it behind his ear before walking back to the living room.

He tosses the bag of weed on the couch. "It's some good shit, I promise. Mix it in with what Pandora has if you want. Or whatever. Just doing my part." He flashes a playful smile towards no one in particular; being slightly fond of parties, especially when he's in the mood to have a good time - a mood that he current found himself in - Cosmo was simply excited.

Turning to Lyfe, he says. "Ready whenever you are, man."

"Fine," Lyfe said finally, making his way to the exit. He kept his hands in his pockets, feeling the money against his fingertips as he passed Lilia. He gave her a look that practically said 'I'm ready to go.' He turned the corner with the knowledge that Cosmo and Lilia were trailing behind him. His lips were in a thin line while his feet moved nonchalantly against the pavement.

His mind was, however, in a frenzy. Oh, how he craved for a bottle of Gin to wash away his burning thoughts. Perhaps, his therapist was right...maybe he needed to take the time to let people in. He felt different when he was around others, well others that didn't grate at his nerves. Being around people made him feel less...him and more--he couldn't even think of the words. He didn't understand why he liked being around people, but he did, and he never showed it. He kept his head down as he walked, not saying a word, not a looking back, but hearing the footfalls of the people behind him and that sound was enough to make him feel a bit of something that he wasn't use to feeling: relief.

"Fine," Lyfe said before walking, rather determined looking, out of the room. With a quick wave, Cosmo followed the young man, with Lilia following behind. As they made they way down the stairs and started on the sidewalk, Lyfe stayed a few steps ahead of the other two. He struck Cosmo as a bit eccentric, but in an odd way. Not that this bothered him in the least, nor did he think of it judgmentally, simply as an observation.

As they continued to walk, Cos reached behind his ear, retrieving the joint he stashed there before they left. He placed it between his lips and lit it, inhaling rather deeply. He takes a couple quick hits, before holding it between his fingers and asking, "Would either you of fine people like a hit?"