Who: Laura and Dorian (mentions of Caspian and Caitlyn) What: Talking of Dorian’s new friend, father’s day planning When: June 12, 2019 Where: Finn Residence Rating: Low Status: Complete
Having his mind set back to that well-oiled way he worked with Caspian and also open to new friends and experiences, Dorian found his way back to the house he lived in with the Finns. He had a book under one arm as he slipped inside and made sure the door was secured before moving further inside.
Everyone seemed to be adjusting to the island, slowly but surely. Except for Laura. Then again, she had always been slow to warm to people and didn’t adjust well to change. But she was trying. She’d ventured out once… maybe twice on her own, and allowed Cas and Caitlyn to drag her out more often than she was comfortable with. She could tell just by the atmosphere in the house that Cas and Dorian and Caitlyn were beginning to settle in.
But at least she was trying. Venturing off to the library and talking with someone new was a huge step for Laura. But the information she’d found out there made her just retreat back to the safety of the people she knew and trusted. This island, and that big building especially, set her on edge and left her feeling triggered often.
Maybe it was all catching up to her finally, but today Laura felt exhausted. All she wanted to do was stay in bed, but that wasn’t in her nature. There were things to do, plans to be made, so she forced herself to keep moving and stay focused. Hearing the door close, Laura was coming down the stairs after having put the last of the laundry away. She greeted Dorian with a smile, silently making note of the book he carried. “Hello.”
“Hello,” Dorian smiled as he watched her come down the stairs. He was a little worried about Laura. He hadn’t seen her out of the house much. If she wanted, he would accompany her anywhere she wanted to go. “Can I help?” he asked.
Wearing another solid dark blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans, he was comfortable to an extent. He kept his ears open like Caspian asked. The book under his arm was Violin, the same book that Roman had suggested and purchased for him.
She smiled again and shook her head no. “I’ve got it, but thanks. What have you got there?” She nodded to the book as she moved into the living room and to the couch to sit down. Laura liked to read as well, but she hadn’t gotten any books here yet, she was sidetracked when she went to find herself something. She was tempted to read one of Caitlyn’s books once she was done with it.
“Okay. Oh,” Dorian blinked and pulled the book out to hold it in his hands. “A book by Anne Rice.” He followed Laura into the living room and sat down on the other end of the couch. “It looked interesting and it was also suggested to me.” The young man nodded. He still had The Hobbit and the first Harry Potter book in his room.
Laura looked to the book in his hands and arched a brow curiously. “Suggested to you?” She didn’t think Cas had a long list of book suggestions, but she could be wrong. But she was glad to see that Dorian was getting out more and talking to people. She knew it was difficult for him too.
“Yes,” Dorian breathed and showed the spine of the book to Laura. “His name is Roman Skye. He’s a lawyer and liaison for the residents.” He replied, the corners of his mouth tugging upward a little. Roman was quite handsome and charming. But he listened and thankfully carried on a decent conversation with him.
Catching the hint of a smile, Laura nodded once. “Oh? That was nice of him. What… does a liaison do?” She hadn’t heard of such a thing, but Laura was positive she knew almost nothing about this place so far.
Resting the book in his lap, he nodded. “I thought so. He said he’s the spokesperson for the residents, to make things better for us.” Dorian explained. The soft smile remained, thinking of Roman.
Laura smiled a little as well, happy to see Dorian looking brighter. “That’s good to know, it’s nice that there’s someone around looking out for us. Is he… like us?” She thought that maybe someone advocating for them might be a fellow mutant but you could never be sure.
Dorian grinned and nodded. “It is.” Then he shook his head. “I don’t think so. He didn’t have an ID.” Now that he thought about it, it was curious. But with the way things were on the island for people like them, who knew if the government would let one of them be in such a position.
Laura’s smile faltered. She had her own experience with people who she thought she could trust but then just tried to use her abilities against her. But she kept her concerns to herself, Dorian was an adult and didn’t need her being overbearing. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t worry about him. She considered him part of the family, without question.
“Well, I’m glad you’re making friends. You’re doing better here now? And not letting Caitlyn pester you too much?” She knew her daughter adored him, so it was just gentle teasing.
Dorian had been burned for trusting the wrong people and he paid for that. He still had the emotional and physical scars. But he had Caspian. He trusted him above anyone else. And he hadn’t questioned it once. The young man was still rebuilding parts of himself. The hopeless romantic wanted to believe.
“Thank you. I am,” he nodded and sighed. “I think it’s me pestering her,” Dorian smirked as he teased back.
Laura’s smile returned with that. “Either way it makes her happy. She and I have been trying to plan something for Caspian for Father’s Day, maybe you could help us with it?”
“I am glad! I plan to get her back into the first Harry Potter book to keep her busy. Oh? I would!” Dorian smiled brightly. “What can I do?”
Laura was glad that Dorian shared his love of reading with Caitlyn, she did too. “Well, I’m not quite as good as cooking as I am at baking, so maybe you could help with that? Or just with distracting Cas and getting him out of the house for a little bit while we set up the surprise? Either one would be helpful. And Cas and I are working on something for Caitlyn’s birthday too, so we’d love you to be a part of that as well.” It was a lot and Laura already felt overwhelmed but hoped it was just her fatigue getting in the way.
“Either one! I’m not the best cook, but I can try. But I also think I can distract Cas and get him out of the house for a bit for you.” Dorian nodded. His eyes brightened at the idea of celebrating Cas. “I’d love that.” He smiled. “Anything I can do to help.” The young man was thankful for being a part of the Finn family. And the idea of doing ‘normal’ things while being in their current situation was amazing.
Laura nodded with a smile. “I’d be grateful for any help with all of it. Caityn has good intentions but I can also ask so much of her.” She wanted her daughter to be a child and have as much as possible, it was something she never really had much chance to do. So other than trying to keep the whole thing a secret for a few days, Laura planned to take on the whole thing and just let her daughter enjoy the fun.
Dorian nodded. “Let’s plan things out and I will help in every way I can.” Caitlyn would have all the time possible to be a kid and have fun. She would be much more carefree than the adults that were keeping her safe from worry.
Standing slowly, she held onto the arm of the couch for a moment to steady herself. Taking a deep breath, she turned to move into the kitchen. “I suppose we should start by making a list. Do you have any ideas of what we should cook? I’ve already planned to make his favorite dessert.”
Dorian watched as Laura got up. Then he moved to stand up as she steadied herself. The young man left the book on the couch for now. “Okay. Uhm, anything healthy that Cas would like. What do we have food wise and uhm...what can we get from the food supply deliveries I’ve heard about.”
Laura nodded, thinking over what was available. “I know he mentioned wanting a steak, but unless you’ve found any special connections, I don’t think we’ll be able to find anything like that around here.” Moving into the kitchen, she took a look in the fridge and then the cabinets. She only knew how to make a few meals, and none of them were very special or overly appealing. It kept their stomachs filled, but she wanted to do something more than that for the holiday.
“Yeah, I don’t think I could find that around here.” Dorian replied and followed Laura into the kitchen. “I can ask Riley if he knows someone who has something special and also someone who can give up some cooking ideas.” He offered, only knowing how to heat up a couple of things and how to make scrambled eggs and various alcoholic beverages.
Laura sighed and turned to face him, leaning back against the counter. “That would be good, thank you. I can make the pie, and Caitlyn has already decided she wanted to make paper decorations herself. Do you think there’s anything else we can do to make it nice? I don’t really know much about celebrations like this, especially with the limited resources here.”
Dorian nodded as he kept an eye on Laura. “You’re welcome. Okay. Perhaps make a card or two. I could probably track down some color pencils or markers. I think keeping it home-made like would do. It’s the thought..yeah with the limited resources.” He would want to keep things simple and heartfelt. But he would like Laura and Caitlyn lead on this.
Raking her hand back through her hair, she nodded and stared at the floor thoughtfully. “Yes, that’s what we’ll do. Do you think Cas is doing alright here? I know he doesn’t want me to worry, but I can’t help it. I just feel terrible subjecting you and him and Caitlyn to this place. I know it’s my fault.”
The tall and young man breathed at her question and then exhaled at Laura blaming herself. “I think he is. He is staying focused.” Dorian began and closed the distance between them. “It’s not your fault we’re here.” He whispered and offered his hands to her.
She took his hands and looked up to him with a small frown. “It is. If I wasn’t… If I had better control… maybe. Maybe we would have been able to avoid all of this. I’m sorry.” Laura just shook her head. She’d been conditioned early on that her ability was a detriment, and that because of it, bad things would happen, regardless of her control. That negative thinking kept sneaking back more and more lately, even though she tried to focus on the good and be optimistic.
“No, it isn’t. You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” Dorian curled his fingers around Laura’s smaller hands. It was pointless to dwell on blame. After a few moments, he let go of her hands and wrapped his arms around her to hug her. “We have to think about the future and not stay in the past. And we’re together.”
Laura was surprised by the hug, but returned it thankfully. She knew that he was right, and so she nodded. Sometimes she needed those rational words as a reminder. “You’re right. Thank you.” Stepping back after a moment, she wiped her eyes and then offered him a genuine smile. “So, I already know what kind of dessert to make for Cas, and Caitlyn likes most anything. But what kind of things do you like?”
Dorian wanted to protect Caspian’s family, the one that took him in and brought him to a better state of mind. He hoped the hug helped. “You’re welcome.” He breathed and released the hug. The young man wasn’t a picky eater, taking most of what he was served. But there was one thing he couldn’t bear to eat again. “More than dessert?”
Laura nodded, watching him curiously. “Anything. I’m only really good with baking, but I am always up for trying something new. Baking and cooking for people makes me feel useful, and you do so much for us. The least I can do is make some foods that you like.”
He slowly wrapped his arms around his midsection and thought. “I like just about anything….except for pizza.” Dorian couldn’t bring himself to eat it. Even the smell of it turned his stomach.
Reading his body language, Laura nodded in understanding. She made a mental note to avoid pizza completely, she’d have to make sure Caitlyn didn’t ask for it too often. Luckily, the girl was a good eater, so she was flexible about things like that. “And what is your favorite dessert? If you like sweets at all.”
At Laura’s nod, Dorian relaxed his tightened shoulders. If Caitlyn wanted it, he’d have to make plans to be out of the house. “I like sweet stuff. Cake is good - yellow or chocolate.” He smiled softly.
Smiling a bit more, Laura nodded. “I can’t promise not to overwhelm you with cake now that I know what you like.” Her baking was quite good, she’d even vaguely considered maybe doing some baking for work on the island. But in all of the tons of jobs Laura had had in her life, baker was not one of them. Maybe hers wasn’t good enough for others, and she really had no idea how to do it on a larger scale. So for now it was just a little idea she kept to herself.
He shook his head. “I like pretty much anything that’s sweet when it comes to sweets.” Dorian half smiled. He was still figuring things out on the island. But he had made two friends, the second one slightly tentative due to just how handsome Roman was. The young man kept his eyes open in order to report back to Caspian.
Laura nodded with a smile. “Well, then you’ll have to be one of the first to taste test when I try new things. If you promise to give me your honest opinion. Caitlyn loves to try things, but she always tells me that it’s good. I think she’s just being nice sometimes, but I love her for it.”
“Okay,” Dorian breathed as he stood there. “I can do that.” He smiled. There was still a touch of anxiety in his mind of anything resembled in sight or scent of marinara sauce. But he would be kind about it.