[Emily] The exterior door to the brick-faced walk-up where Emily Littleton lives is still broken. It latches, but does not hold. It keeps out nothing but the wind. And there is little on this hot, humid Sunday afternoon. Barely enough breath in the world to push aside the sheers that hang over her dining room windows. She has strategically placed box fans that whirr quietly, create a white noise backdrop; it lowers the temperature in her flat dramatically. It is tenable, even with the oven on and the scent of something slow-cooked and tomatoey wafting from her kitchenette.
The flat is fuller, now, that it has ever been before. The living room has acquired a couch, no more in keeping with the home's aesthetic than anything else she owns. That couch has acquired a short stack of linens, nestled into one corner one the room and not far from the aforementioned sofa, that implies its current use is primarily as bedding.
Perhaps strangest yet is the twining of voices, one baritone and more strongly English-canted, one familiar: a muddled alto. There is laughter, too, of an unmitigated and freer sort. Something is afoot at Emily's flat.
[Riley] Riley and Alex have had a less than lazy afternoon. The morning was full of the talk of finances and the future. A stop was made at Riley's condo for a change of clothes and a quick word with her father. Joking, mostly, teasing filled with knowing looks. Sunday in the late morning is the first time the Virtual Adept stepped inside her home since she left it Friday afternoon.
There was a cursory drive through Lincoln Park, looking at houses and neighborhoods and looking for real estate signs.
A text was sent, either by Riley or Emily, asking about evening plans. A decision had been made to visit the Orphan's home for dinner, a request for the inclusion of the Euthanatos, and then the Virtual Adept drove them to the familiar building.
When they get to the door to Emily's flat, Riley knocks and she waits, a small bouquet of colorful flowers in hand. There'd been no time to cook or bake to add to the dining offerings, and there was no way the Italian woman was going to bring something store bought.
"You ready?" she asks Alex, almost in the manner of a couple getting ready to meet one or the other's parents. Except Riley's smiling and relaxed, at ease. Emily is her friend, and the tension that spiked up between them at the beginning of summer has faded and past. She's looking forward to hanging out with her friend.
[Alex] You ready?
Alex gulps. Could he ever be ready for the dreaded friend dinner party? Sure he's met Emily but hes about to be in her home, as a guest. And not just a guest of emily's but a guest of Riley's. That means anything he does automatically is Riley's fault. That means he has to be good, has to make a good impression and has to behave. So its no surprise that he's actually wearing a suit, probably the first time Riley has ever seen him in one. It's a grey and black tight fitting number, its textured and seemingly striped but the stripes are in the texture not any bright lines. The jacket hangs open to reveal a simple black button up underneath, the top few buttons undone.
He turns his head towards Riley and offers smile.
"Ready as I'll ever be hun. Lets do this."
[Emily] When Riley's text came through, it wasn't Emily who'd picked up her 'Berry. She was a little too far away to nab it off the counter before her house guest, who held the little techno-babble-box just out of her reach and read the message aloud.
"Who's Riley?" he asked, as Emily's elbow found his ribs. Nudged. (Ooof.)
"A friend. Unhand my phone, Gregory."
"Who's Alex?" A lifted eyebrow, a side-long smirk.
"Her boyfriend. I'm not kidding. My phone, now. I invited you to visit, not snoop, Mr. Prynne."
"How inhospitable, Ms. Littleton. I thought you'd turned over a new, nicer leaf." He recanted and handed over her phone. "Why don't you invite them for dinner? You've cooked for a congregation and it's just the two of us."
So there's a braised pork dish, with white beans and a vegetable-rich sauce. A green salad. Fresh, crusty french bread. It is enough to feed a small army, or just a small representative group from Cabal 3.
On one side of the door, Alex is steeling himself for meeting Emily's home. On the other side of the door, Emily is inspecting the set table and dinner spread with similar trepidation.
"Do try to remember: they're friends, Gregory," she says, just before she lifts her heels so that she can kiss his cheek. Smile. And then head for the door.
When Emily pulls the door open, there's a slight flush (embarrassment [exasperation]) to the Singer-to-be's cheeks. It's likely just from the warmth of the kitchen. She smiling broadly, a bit more clearly than usual. "Come in, please," she tells them as she steps out of the way of the door.
Riley gets a hug, and there are thank yous and compliments for the flowers. Alex is welcomed warmly. No one even gets admonished about their shoes. Not today.
There is a new presence here, though. One who moves with familiarity around the Apprentice they all know. He steps in beside Emily to take the flowers from her. Waits until Emily introduces him as Gregory Prynne, a very good friend of mine. From Manchester. The kinship between them is strong, though; rivaled only by the unspoken connection she shares with their cabal's Chorister Initiate.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Gregory says, but doesn't attempt the informality of calling them both by their given names. He offers his hand to Alex; kisses the back of Riley's hand (should she let him). These are Old World mannerisms that assume no familiarity. He seems otherwise a little shy, grateful for the distraction of putting the flowers in water to pull him away from the tight grouping of friends for a moment.
[Riley] Riley would have come in t-shirt and shorts, or at best, a nice clean polo and a decent pair of jeans.
But Alex was nervous, and he decided to wear a suit. He looks like he expects to meet a firing squad on the other side of the door. Or an interrogation chamber, single desk, two chairs, bright hot light.
So Riley decided to help him out. Her hair is down and loose, the waves relaxed into something a touch straighter. Her dress is green, sleeveless, falls just above her knees and there's a belt wrapped twice around her slim waist. Emily doesn't ask them to remove their shoes, and for that Riley's a little grateful. Not that she'd need anyone's shoulder for balance to remove the knee-high boots, but it would still have been a little awkward. She looks cute, and nice, not nearly as dressed up as she was at the club the other night, but not as dressed down as she was all the rest of the weekend.
She slips her hand into Alex's and gives it a gentle, comforting squeeze, letting go only when the door opens. Emily gets a warm hug, brief but tight. Gregory is permitted to kiss the back of her hand, and when he looks up he's greeted with that charming, dazzling smile. Warmth and friendliness radiate out from the Virtual Adept. But for the decided lack of electrical charge in the air around her, one might think it was a rote, some charm or spell used to calm those around her.
That's just how Riley is, though.
"Aw, please, just Riley's fine. Oh you got the couch!" she exclaims as she steps inside the apartment. Riley is certainly not one to judge the way nothing in Emily's flat seems to match, not on the surface anyway. It matches the tenant, though, and for Riley that's all that really matters.
[Alex] She's wearing that dress, Alex finds it hard to keep his eyes off her, just like he had found it hard, not to just flag the party and make her take them both somewhere quiet -- not that she would have given him the choice mind you. But they have arrived, clean and fresh and are now being lead through the doorway.
"Hey Emily, you look great." He offers a generalised compliment slightly nervously.
And then gregory is offering his hand and the Euthanatos takes it, squeezes it and shakes firmly. "Nice to meet you Gregory."
It's all very normal, Alex isn't making a fool of himself or tripping over his own feet when he says hello. So in that regard perhaps its most abnormal.
"Thanks for having us over Emily."
He flicks his eyes over to Riley as if to say, Was that ok?
[Emily] Her apartment is small. It's neatly kept, a little on the austere side. There is no television in the living room, and oddly no coffee table just yet. A pair of book shelves, the sofa, and a nicely restored wooden rocker dominate the space. There is a lot of open floor space still. Further on into her flat is a small dining set that will seat four comfortably, but closely. It's from IKEA, and bares all the hallmarks of swede-modern design. Riley and Emily have done what they can to soften that, to brighten it with the Provence linens and now some fresh flowers.
Gregory stands a few inches taller than Emily, just a half inch shy of six-feet-even. His hair is of a similar, though lighter, hue. His eyes are of a similar, but lighter, hue. He has not taken on a light bronzing from summer, as Emily has. There is enough similarity there to suggest family, but not enough kinship to suggest siblings. He wears a blue dress shirt, cuffs loose and arms rolled up to his elbows. No tie. Khaki slacks. Dark socks. No shoes.
Emily is wearing a charcoal grey dress. It's shaped like a polo shirt that simply continues on to her knees. There's a small pocket at her left breast, three small buttons at the neckline. It's an easy thing, not as dressy as Riley. Neither Emily nor Gregory are as dressy as their guests.
For Alex, perhaps the most interesting facet of this space is the stretch of dark-framed pictures at almost eye-height around her living room. Their subject matter spans most continents, and they progress from red-shifted (faded) with rounded corners all the way around in an unbroken line to a recent picture of the Chicago skyline. Each picture has a white matte, thereon is written a pencilled annotation (City, Country).
"Isabel was getting rid of it, so all I had to do was be here when the movers brought it by," Emily says to Riley, with a note of incredulity. Free couch. Almost all the major furnishings in her flat have been gifts or cast-offs. It doesn't bother her in the slightest.
"I'm glad you could come," she says to Alex, as they all move back toward the dining room.
"Do you want to open the bottle of wine you brought back from Italy?" Emily asks Riley, opening a cupboard and producing said bottle for the Adept's inspection. All the while Gregory is quieter, watching the interplay between these three with quiet nonchalance as he snips the flower stems and arranges them in the wide mouthed pitcher that passes for a vase at Emily's house these days.
[Riley] Alex is on his best behavior, acting very grown up. Not like that day at Toys R Us, when the trio of apprentices had their koosh war. And though he'd much prefer keeping Riley to himself tonight, he agreed to come with her, anyway. He greets Emily and her other guest politely, then looks to Riley. She grins warmly back. It's a different look than Emily receives, or has even seen, on the older woman's face.
Yes, that's fine, silly boy.
Of the quartet, Riley and Emily are the most relaxed. Which makes Riley feel like she's just among her cabalmates, with Riley and Emily interacting warmly and openly with the males sticking to the sidelines, awkward and unsure.
It's not really the same, though. The connection is different, the bond between Emily and Gregory not at all the same as that between Owen and Emily. And Riley could never think of Chuck the way she thinks of Alex. So after a quick look around the room, and a look over the couch, she makes her way back to Alex's side, slipping her arm through his and guiding the younger man toward the dinning room. "Nice! I have to say, Em, I love how this place is coming together."
And there's Gregory, staying quiet and watching, observing, and Riley will have none of that. She smiles at him, and it's not just a polite smile for a newly met stranger. It's warm and inclusive. She smiles like they've been friends for years and years.
"So what brings you to Chicago, Gregory?"
[Alex] Alex leaves the girls to it, he wanders into the living room and his eyes are instantly transfixed upon the line of picture around the room. He walks among them silently and slowly, like some kind of art buff at a gallery. It's like a time line, a picture book. He's about halfway through when Riley's arm tucks in under his and his head turns towards hers with a soft smile.
"Hm?"
Then she's dragging him away into the dining room to be sociable. Oh what would we do without women. Probably finish looking at some interesting pictures for starters. But he goes willingly and holds his arm relaxed for her to hang off.
Her question to Gregory interests him just as much as it probably does Riley and his eyes flicker over to the man. Yes, Gregory, What brings you here indeed? Emily perhaps? Was that a blush we saw on her cheeks when first we entered the house? Are you the instigator of said blushes?
Of course he's only mildly interested in the results of such unvoiced questions, but it is a dinner party after all -- and if there's to be no murder in the bathroom with a candle stick then there has to at least be some intrigue.
[Emily] Gregory is standing, watching, observing, because there is so very much to learn here by keeping quiet. He's already learned that Alex has not been here before, and is drawn to the pictures Emily has left carelessly on her walls for just anyone to see. He knows that Riley is the social butterfly, because Alex isn't, and because Gregory can draw on a long association with Emily to know that she is not either.
"Lollapalooza," he answers, with a mostly straight face. His accent pulls the word all manner of out of joint, and it would have read honestly if Emily hadn't stopped what she was doing with the wine pull to throw his a curious (cautioning) look.
A lopsided smile breaks across the man's face, and then he amends: "Ah, no. Emily has invited me to visit. And as she has never before offered, I thought I'd best take her up on it before she changes her mind."
Unamused, Emily finishes removing the cork from the wine and brings it to the table. "I've not had my own flat before," she explains to Riley, who met Emily when the younger girl was barely still subletting half a room in a house near campus.
"And things have been busy," she looks at Gregory, who has set the flowers aside now and is wiping his hands on a dish towel. Patiently listening. "For both of us."
"This is true," he concedes, nods a little as he looks back to Riley. "Things have been busy."
Emily places her hands on the back of one chair, just rests them there, idly.
"How about you, Riley? Are you local, or a transplant like Emily?" Oh look, the questions go two ways. While they're being sociable, Emily gestures to the others that they're welcome to take a seat. Then she pulls her own chair back from the table. Dinner, and conversation, seem inescapable at this point.
[Riley] Yes, if it weren't for the pesky womenfolk, men would get to finish looking at cool pictures. Because now is obviously the only time Alex is ever going to get a chance to look at them. Because once they go into the dining room there's no turning back. They will never come into this room again, no not ever.
But of the assembled, Riley is definitely the social butterfly, flitting easily from conversation to conversation, guest to guest, and making everyone feel like they're part of the group. For now. They may eventually branch off in any number of combinations, but they'll at least start off together.
Lollapalooza, Gregory says, and Riley's about to throw him a jealous look when Emily silently interjects. Riley looks between the pair of them, and she tries not to smile too knowingly. There's a bond there. Not like the one with Owen, but close nonetheless. It's good, she thinks, that she'll get to see another facet of Emily tonight.
"Have they?" asks Riley, grinning when they both say things have been busy. She looks at Alex as if to say Did you hear that? I wonder if things have been busy.
She pulls out a chair at the table she tried to help Emily decorate and soften into something more to the wandering Orphan's style. The gifter of the set had meant well, but hadn't known Emily very well at all at the time.
"I'm a transplant, I guess," she says, smoothing her skirt as she takes a seat. She tries to sit straight with shoulders back, but it's obvious that her shoulders want to round and her spine to curve into a more comfortable position. It'll get there, though, just give it time. "My dad and I moved to Chicago when I was about seven. Except for a little trip back to my mother's motherland," she inclines her head to the bottle of wine from Bardolino, "I've never been outside of Illinois."
[Alex] Alex watches the exchange between the womenfolk and gregory. A smile curves into his lips and his eyes are already on Riley when she turns her head to grin at him. I did, I did, it would seem that - Yes, perhaps things have been busy indeed.
When Riley sits Alex removes his jacket, placing it on the back of her chair before pulling his own out next to her and taking a seat. Riley speaks about her past and, to be honest, its not like the two of them have chatted much about these sorts of things so he's all ears for the Italian woman. He doesn't comment on her never being out of Illinois before though, the last thing he wants to do is make it abundantly clear how little talking the two of them have done.
Instead his eyes travel over to Gregory and he leans back a little in his chair.
"Lollapalooza aye? Hows it been.. I can't remember what day that's supposed to finish.. What bands are playing anyway?" He tosses the questions out casually like its no big deal, hand waving flippantly in the air while he stretches his legs out under the table. He isn't snooping. Really, he's not. Honestly.
[Emily] Alex is asking Gregory about the concert that Gregory is not attending. So Emily's smile cants toward something a little more smug (wry [amused]) and she starts dishing portions and passing dishes. They can fill up their plates while they talk. It gives her a moment to catch Riley's eyes, exchanged a pleased look. Teasing Gregory, it seems, is fine by Emily. The table has a familial atmosphere, as close and over-full as it is. They will have to mind their pleases and thank yous, risk bumping elbows if they reach across one another, and ultimately be friendly to share the space between four people.
Gregory is naming off bands and details of the concert for Alex, who had not caught the wry undertone of his retort to Riley. This is serious-faced. It continues just long enough for Emily to tap her English guest on the arm and pass him the wine bottle -- "Would you mind pouring for the two of you, love?" she interjects.
"Not at all, Emmy," he replies. He doesn't even get kicked under the table. This time.
"Riley's lived here longer than anyone else I know," Emily mentions, to the table. She's passing the bread when she adds, "We were talking about visiting Catalonia together, or maybe Greece, this summer." The thought trails off before she can add the obvious explanation (but things have been busy).
Greg doesn't miss a beat in suggesting: "Or you could visit when Emily comes home for the Christening this Autumn." He offers Riley a smile that can almost match one of her own. Emily glances at Riley, then Gregory. (I hadn't decided I was coming.) Greg glances at Emily (Oops?), then Alex.
"Do you travel much, Alex? Or do you prefer to stay in one place?" If the Euthanatos thought he would escape questioning, clearly he was mistaken. "I often imagine that all of Emily's friends travel like she does, but that's clearly not so."
There's a little pause, and his attention is on the glasses of wine he is pouring not anyone in particular. "How did you two meet?" He adds this easy question to the litany he'd already directed at the other man. It's clear that he means Alex and Riley as well. Emily glances down at her plate, shifts her napkin in her lap, and keeps her wry smile to herself.
[Alex] [aware]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 6, 7, 7, 8, 10 (Success x 5 at target 6)
[Riley] [sure what the hell]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 (Success x 2 at target 6)
[Riley] [and a doot de doo]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 2, 8, 8, 9 (Success x 3 at target 6)
[Riley] "Sometimes I feel like I've lived in one place longer than anyone in the world. Makes me feel old," she jokes. But it's true. All the people she's known have come into Illinois from somewhere else, and recently.
Emily trails off, but Riley's quick to drop in that, "But things've been busy," complete with that Midwestern slurring of words. She grins, though, teasing though the things that were busy were actually terribly serious. Like their hosts, though, Riley doesn't bring that up. She doesn't intend to talk about imps or fractured and strained friendships, not on a night like tonight, not among friends and loved ones.
"Oh?" she asks, and don't think she hasn't noticed use of the words congregation and Christening. It seems Emily's not-brother-friend is a bit of a churchgoer, which isn't surprising given where he's from. "Who's getting Christened?"
She carefully lobs a bit of food onto her plate before passing on to Alex. It's definitely a familial feel here, one that the Virtual Adept has only had in such situations. Her family is small, just two people, and except for that jaunt into Italy, she's only ever had a family of friends. It's a nice feeling, to see a table so full.
she doesn't interrupt the grilling of her boyfriend, but there's a pause in her movements when Gregory asks how they met. Riley's brows lift, and she looks quickly at Alex. "Uh." How to explain that particular meeting to another mage would have been bad enough, but Gregory is a sleeper besides. There's no resonance on him, though Riley can sense her friends and the familiar objects in her bag and Emily's room.
"We sorta ran into each other hiking." Which is the truth, sort of.
[Alex] "I don't travel much any more, no.. I used to travel a lot but not any more. I like to think I've found a reason to stay put." He smiles, that's all anyone at the table is likely to get. Riley knows why.
When Riley speaks up about feeling old, Alex's hand shifts under the table to grip gently upon her thigh. He gives her a little squeeze and a grin. You're not old at all hun, not even a little. But his hand is removed when she passes the food and he piles a healthy portion onto his plate, handing the remaining food on.
She tells Gregory how they met and alex's eyes widen slightly then he's visibly relaxes when she stops at "hiking". It's then he takes the time to let his senses search through the area around them. If Gregory's a mage he is a very strange one, has no resonance -- though Alex had chased a disciple through the streets of cabrini only a few days ago that had no resonance. It isn't unheard of. Theres other familiar tinglings, like that of Rileys dagger and the two Cabal Sisters.. and something else.. something faint and strange coming from what Alex can only assume is Emilys bedroom. He frowns. Not strong enough to be a person, but its there all the same. How curious.
"So how's Owen doing Emily? I saw molly try give him a birthday cake last time I saw him and he just ran away.. "
[Emily] [Emily: She.... what? Deep breath. I'm not upset.]
Dice Rolled:[ 6 d10 ] 2, 3, 3, 5, 5, 8 (Success x 1 at target 6)
[Emily] [Gregory: You okay there, Emily?]
Dice Rolled:[ 7 d10 ] 1, 2, 2, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 (Success x 2 at target 6) Re-rolls: 1
[Alex] [empathy]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 3, 4, 6, 9, 10 (Success x 3 at target 6)
[Riley] [Emily looks upset, does she look upset to you? (empathy)]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 1, 1, 3, 10, 10 (Failure at target 6)
[Riley] [no seriously]
Dice Rolled:[ 5 d10 ] 2, 5, 5, 6, 7 (Success x 1 at target 7)
[Emily] Emily's flat is filled with curiosities that Alex is kept from exploring by this social nicety stuff that Riley has dragged him into. Such a shame, really, because he could get into untold amounts of trouble with Emily were he left alone for five minutes and to his own recognizance. Nothing like getting caught in a girl's bedroom, holding her prayer beads and having nothing more to say for one's self than I thought I sensed someone else in here.
"A friend of ours," Gregory's glance cuts to Emily, "Is expecting her first child. She's asked us to be godparents." He is pleased by this, Emily is dismayed. There's a flicker of self-doubt that crosses her expression, but she doesn't comment.
Thankfully Alex is willing to cut into the conversation, taking attention away from the argument-that-wasn't between the British folks at the table. Both Gregory and Emily show a warm smile for Alex's compliment to Riley. It's approving. Pleased.
How's Owen doing?
"I think he's quite fine, thanks," Emily says on the topic of Owen. But she is not quite quick enough to cover the barest of false starts and the warm that leeches into her eyes when the Chorister is brought up. Until mention of Molly and an incident involving birthday cake.
"Please," Emily says, looking across the table to Alex now. Directedly. "Tell me she didn't." There's all manner of frustration to this, as if Emily is just biting back the edge of something wickedly unkind that might get said anyway. Instead, Emily picks up her glass of wine and takes a sip. It hides her expression, for a moment.
"Owen?" Gregory asks, and there's a knowing lilt underscoring the name. Emily does not meet his eyes.
[Riley] Riley does know why Alex thinks he's found a reason to stay put, and almost immediately the rest of the table knows, too. She positively beams when she looks at Alex, who gives her leg a squeeze.
She misses the way Emily's expression warms at mention of Owen, which is perhaps for the best. It saves the room from witnessing the conflicted look that would no doubt cross her face, which she would attempt to hide. And perhaps under those circumstances she'd be successful. She'd managed to hide from Emily before the fact that she was worried about that particular pairing. Likely, though, she wouldn't, and it would put a damper on their warm dinner.
And then the table goes a little colder, and she misses the reason for that, too. Too busy cutting up a bit of pork or shuffing some vegetables on her fork. She doesn't see the look on Emily's face, not immediately. She knows something's up, though. She can feel it sparking in the air more than she can see it on anyone's faces.
And she can guess why. She and Chuck found out belatedly that Owen's birthday had come and gone, were treated with a bit of leftover birthday cake and a bit of apology for not having been invited to celebrate. Riley had been understanding of the reason. After all, her birthday came and went without fanfare among her friends. She'd spent it with her father the way she always has. But if someone had given her a cake, she wouldn't have run off. She's not nearly as shy as Owen.
"A friend of ours," she answers Gregory. "And last I heard he didn't want anyone making a fuss over his birthday." There's tension in her voice. Of all of her cabalmates, Riley knows the least about Owen. Less than a friend, more than an acquaintance, he's still. Hers. Not the way that he's Emily's, not even the way Chuck is hers, but hers nonetheless.
Turning to Alex, she has that look on her face that says someone may be in need of a trip to the bike shed. "What happened?"
[Alex] His eyes turn to Emily when she questions him, then they shift to Riley. He looks startled like a deer under headlights, suddenly all attention is on him and he really didn't intend for that to happen. He can tell Emily is not happy with the news, but it doesn't change the fact that he's been asked a question and now he has to answer.
"I um.." There's a pause and he gulps. "Well she did.." this directed at Emily. "Sorry to say.. is that a bad thing?" His gaze again flicks to Riley.
"I was just at a cafe last week and there was a bunch of peeps there, was that day you text me for supplies -- Anyway, Molly was there talking about Owens birthday party or something -- Which for the record Emily" and he turns back to her. "I thought was a little strange because you told me he didn't want a party or anything"
He licks his lips. "And then yeah.. she gave him a cupcake and said happy birthday.. and he ran away.. Like literally ran away down the street.."
[Emily] [... pause! ...]
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