That Moment When two gorgeous, high energy queens move to sleepy little Snowcap, Montana and invite their two favorite half-Veelas to an afternoon at their house. Oh, the shenanigans! What could go wrong?!
Join us for the festivities here on Queens, Veelas, and as the Reserve Turns...
Andrew was in a cheerful mood as he wandered around the house, humming breezily to himself as he went from room to room. He wasn't dragging up tonight but was still taking care of himself, with his shortened nails painted a deep purple and a bold patterned shirt having been chosen for the evening. This was a night with their girls, and if he couldn't be a fabulous host by cooking an amazing meal, he would at least be looking fantastic as his boy self. Wanda would have killed him for making any less of an effort.
Luis had gone off to collect an order for food they were actually serving, and snacks were out of the way of the cats in the meantime. There was wine both in the fridge and breathing in the kitchen, and Andrew stood in the kitchen with his hands on hips, surveying the scene with a distinct sense of pride. Their first gathering in their new - albeit temporary - home.
His moment of reverie was disturbed, however, when the wards they'd had set up that morning began to ring. It wasn't his boyfriend, that he knew, and there were only two people it could be. The taller of the queens who lived here half danced across the room, opening the front door with a delighted flourish. “Hiiiiiiii!”
It seemed that young Rory was the first to arrive. The sound of Andrew's pleasant greeting had her grinning as she stood there dressed in her normal style. It may have been more casual than not, but she was comfortable and that was what mattered in a get together between friends, right? And Rory knew she was more than lucky to be able to count these two as friends.
"Hey," she greeted herself, running her fingers through her hair in that nervous way she had, "Laura should be on 'er wa. She got a little... caught up." To say Rory was happy that her big sister was happy was an understatement. Soon Laura would have a little family of her own and when that happened, Rory knew she was going to be the best mom.
"So, what's on tha menu fer today? Gossip? Infermation? Please tell me there's wine," she chuckled, canting her head just to the side with that mischievous smirk she sometimes perfected.
Stepping aside to allow Rory in, Andrew flicked the wand he’d left on the hallway table to close the door and re-secure the wards, before approaching the younger woman for an enthusiastic hug of greeting. Thankfully he wasn’t in drag tonight, or he’d have to stoop even further, but he wasn’t going to miss showing his new friend the attention she deserved. When he straightened up, he held his non-wand arm wide, smiling as he showed her the open, communal areas of the new place. “Welcome to Casa Jacobs-Alvarez. Or Alvarez-Jacobs, if Luis has his way - we’re still arguing about that one.”
He chuckled at Rory’s question, checking her questions off on his fingers. “Of course, that depends, and what kind of goddamn monsters do you think we are?” he gasped, his hand to his chest in feigned shock as he passed her an empty glass. “Red or white?”
The wards clanged again, although who it would be this time was a matter for debate.
The last couple of days had been exhausting, though Laura couldn’t quite put a finger on why. She hadn’t been doing anything different than she normally did, but for some reason? Every ounce of energy that the blonde usually possessed was completely gone. Still, that wasn’t going to stop her from dragging her ass out of bed, and going to visit with her favorite people, outside of Ethan. She’d sent a message to Rory, letting her know that she was running a bit behind that morning, but before she knew it? Laura Proudfoot had dressed, donned her usual slight amount of makeup, and was headed out the door.
She had grabbed a lovely bottle of wine to bring with her (because Laura was a firm believer in bringing wine to any get together, even if it was likely that the boys already had some), and set out on her brisk walk towards Andrew and Luis’ place. That was one of the lovely things about Snowcap - everything was within walking distance.
Laura hated feeling so tired. Exhaustion was usually accompanied by a sore and stiff body, and Laura ached all the way up to her breasts, which was not typically a place that ached when she was this tired. Even so, she was grinning when she finally arrived at the front door of Andrew’s adorable little cottage.
A mere thirty feet or so behind Laura trailed the other man of the house - Luis Alvarez, the short (at least, compared to his giant of a boyfriend) Puerto Rican otherwise known as drag queen Stella Spell. As rambunctious, high energy and loud as his other self, Luis was levitating a heated food tray in front of him so as not to accidentally drop it while jogging up the pathway towards the house. “Hey! Hey! Wait for me!” he called, his strong voice sounding almost too big for the person it came from, a foghorn blasting through the gentle call of local birdsong.
“Hi!” he repeated, more cheerfully but still at volume as he caught up with Laura, Rory and Andrew at the door. “I’m Luis. Hopefully this asshole reminded y’all that I live here too,” he grinned, standing on tiptoe to kiss Andrew’s cheek, patting the other with the palm of his hand and sauntering towards the kitchen with the food. “Especially as I came with food!” he called behind him.
"Wouldn't it make sense from a logical standpoint ta call it Casa Alvarez-Jacobs? Ya know, alphabetical an' all?" Rory questioned as she made her way in. She didn't have a preference on wine, but before she could say as much, the wards rang again and she was turning to greet her sister and Andrew's boyfriend, Luis... who had food.
Bless him.
She was surprised at how loud his little self was, however. Goodness. There was no chance no one was going to hear him when he wanted them to and that could be quite the advantage. This, of course, only served to make Rory chuckle as he bounded up behind Laura. Rory was quick to make room for both of them, taking a step back and running a hand through her hair.
"Nice ta meet ya, Luis. Tell me ya have somethin' delicious in those boxes." Rory wasn't one to be picky. She liked food. A good home cooked southern meal would always be her favorite though. Her gramma was one hell of a cook.
“Oh god, don’t get him started!” Andrew laughed, as Luis cackled “Fuckin’ thank you!” from the other side of the kitchen, where he was now unpacking a veritable feast of grilled and barbecued dishes and sides, setting them out for their guests to grab. “I swear to god, there’ll be war over it at this rate,” he teased, pulling out a bottle of white from the fridge. “D’you have a preference, Laura?” he asked, pouring a couple of glasses. “We’ve got plenty, either way.”
“It’s really great to see you both,” he added, once he’d set down the bottle and glasses on the kitchen island. “You’re our first guests, actually,” he added, moving over to greet her with the similarly enthusiastic hug he’d given Rory upon her arrival. In the background, Luis had sent the platters through to the dining room and had also approached, finally able to give both women attention and his own hug of greeting.
It was such a joyous household, wasn’t it? Laura was grinning, amused at the banter between the boys. “Red, darlin’, but you know me - if it’s made from grapes, I’ll drink it,” she told him with a wink, moving to return Andrew’s enthusiastic hug. An afternoon like this was exactly what she needed right now, even if she was feeling a touch queasy.
“Well, we’re honored to be the first, but knowing you two, we won’t be the last,” She said with a wink, as she turned to embrace Luis in turn. Once she’d greeted the two men, she moved to pull her sister into a quick hug. It felt, especially lately, that she rarely got to see her baby sister.
Leaving it to Andrew to pour Laura a glass, Luis began to levitate the half-open bottles towards the dining room table, smart and quick with the magic before replacing his wand carefully inside the drawer. The reason for the manoeuvre swiftly became clear, as a long-haired ginger cat leapt up onto the counter, butting his head up against the younger man’s palm. He earned a couple of ear scratches for his trouble before settling down, eyeing the women who had suddenly appeared in his home. “This one’s Steve,” Luis explained. “The needy one. We got Kevin, too, but the dude’s off hiding somewhere,” he added, grinning affectionately at the feline.
“Come on through anyway, ladies. We got a good view for our time,” he went on, strolling through to the other room with the well practiced sashay of a natural performer. Even at home, he wasn't one to turn it off. “Scuse the boxes in the corner, though. We ain't had time to go through all our drag, yet.”
Wrapping her arms around Laura, Rory indulged in the affection from her big sister, as well as the other man before that. It was nice, being in an environment where things were light and joyful. Definitely Rory's kind of place.
"Oh, we most certainly won't be the last," Rory chuckled, following after the others.
Upon the appearance of the feline, the blonde smiled and reached over to scratch the animal behind the ears. The purr she received for her efforts made Steve almost seem appreciative, but Rory knew what people said about cats…
Dogs had owners. Cats had staff.
"I'm sure we could probably help ya get all this squared away, ya know. After wine, of course."
Andrew sat himself down at one of the chairs near the ceiling to floor window, giving him both room to stretch his long legs and the opportunity the look out across the view of the mountains. A city boy through and through, part of him still couldn't believe he was here, and that wide eyed wonder did show in part on his face. He chuckled, though, as his friend made the offer. “You'd need a stiff drink to face the amount of crap we have. At least my makeup is organised,” he teased, poking his tongue out at his boyfriend when Luis joined them at the table. “Not to mention I brushed my wigs before packing them up.”
"Clearly," Laura said, regarding the boxes as they moved into the other room. "Rory's right, though. Give me a couple glasses, and I'll be begging you to let me help." Laura had a tendency to want to clean and organize after a few glasses of wine. There was a reason her home with Ethan was so tidy.
She settled herself at the table, chuckling at the banter between the boyfriends. Adorable, really. It was clear that the two of them were so very in love.
“Ooh, bitch, you’re going there? When I’ve seen you dancin’ round a pole like a stripper?” Luis shot back, winking at Rory, to whom he was nearest. “Honestly, ladies, only takes a glass or two and this one’s shaking his ass for the world to see! We’ll have to take y’all out some time to prove it!” Andrew was chuckling into his glass all the while, clearly unbothered by the affectionate teasing.
“But in all seriousness, girls,” the smaller man went on, leaning back in his chair, glass of wine held against the arm, “we can’t go talking ‘bout us this whole time, as much as queens love to do that. You gotta help us get up to speed with what’s goin’ on round here.”
Rory almost snorted her wine whenever Luis called from the kitchen talking about stripper poles. She couldn't help the laughter than rang out, unbridled and unashamed.
"I am... yeah. I thank Ah'd definitely wanna see somethin' like that. I can only imagine how badly the othah strippers would react to someone from tha crowd showin' 'em up." Because Rory had no doubt in her mind that Andrew could do it ten times better than whoever might be on the stage. Then again, Rory had never been to a strip club. It was one of the things on her very long list of things she wanted to do before she bit the big one, though. At least once.
"I dunno how much help Ah'd be on tha gossip front, honestly. I mean, I literally do nothin' but work in mah office. I ain't been here all that long so it's highly likely that you two might be tha only ones around here I can call friends. For now, anyway," she chuckled.
With almost heroic levels of casual in his reply, Andrew chuckled after a sip of his own wine. “Not in actual strip clubs, I will clarify. Queens have performance etiquette, and so do strippers, there’s a weird kind of mutual respect of that on the New York scene,” he responded. “Queer bars, though? You’d be stuck to find one without a pole, and I am not the only person here who’s used one in a show!” he went on, all wide eyed and feigning appalled naivety before releasing it all in a burst of laughter. “It’s all good fun, though. Some of the clubs are 21+ for a reason, I guess, and I’ve always enjoyed the mental image of some of my dance teachers at HAHA realising just how I use my education.”
Letting out a soft ‘naww!’ of affection and sympathy, he leaned across the table and picked up Rory’s free hand, jokingly kissing the back of it. “We’ll organise some fun for everybody,” he declared, leaning back into his seat.
Admittedly, pole dancing always intrigued Laura - not that she would ever admit that out loud. It did, however, give her an idea that she might want to run by Andrew and Luis later. Possibly Rory as well. “Sign me up for that show. I’d love to see it.”
Settling into her seat, Laura sighed. “I’m afraid I’ll have to agree with Rory - I’m not much good when it comes to gossip. I spend all my day around books. I could use a fun outing or two, if we’re being honest. Vegas was the most fun I’ve had in ages.” Not that her life was boring, per-sey, but she thought maybe she could use a little more excitement in her life.
“It’s almost a fuckin’ pity that there’s no scene out here, but that’s sort of the point in us being outta the way,” Luis replied, taking a sip of his own drink. “Nearest place with clubs has gotta be… what, Laramie? Billings, maybe?” He looked out of the window, tapping fingers on his chin in thought. “We’ll look into it. Obviously Pride is coming up, but that’s kind of a big time trip, yanno? Got to have the other occasional trip to let off steam.”
He turned to grin at his boyfriend, clearly not serious as he continued. “Mr Smarty Pants over here got his job to do, though, so we can’t go wild too often.”
"Ah'm sure there's a scene. I mean, this place ain't exactly all quiet all tha time. We're just sayin' we usually stay out of said scenes," Rory laughed, taking a sip at her wine. It was true, though. Rory had no intention of becoming the center of attention out here. If she could help it. But when Farrah mentioned Pride, Rory's face seemed to light up. "Ah've nevah been ta Pride Parade but Ah've always wanted ta go." Was she inviting herself along on this trip? Absolutely not.
But she was giving Farrah or Stella (why not both?) a chance to invite the two of them to go with them. She imagined that could be incredibly fun. And who would you want to bring other than the two women who were your best friends?
“Girl,” Andrew said firmly, setting down his wine glass and looking her right in the eye, “did you seriously think we’d go and not drag you lovely ladies along by the hair if we had to? Pride is basically gay Christmas,” he went on, “it’s a big deal. Especially with NYC being home turf.”
“Plus, you know, it’s one of our few scheduled breaks from this place,” he added, after a moment’s thought. “This, and the bookings on Wanda’s show later in the season.”
“We would be extremely put out with you if you didn’t,” was Laura’s response, as she chuckled into her wine glass. Like her sister, Laura had never been to a Pride celebration, though she had always been interested in attending. “I think both of us would absolutely love that, dears, especially if it’s even half as spectacular as you’re making it out to be.”
Brushing her blonde hair back over her shoulders, Laura crossed her legs, looking between Andrew and Luis. “Have I told the two of you how happy I am you’re here?” While Laura had friends in the small town, and on the reserve, these two had quickly become more or less family. “Even if it’s only for the summer.”
“It’s fuckin’ settled then, bitches!” cheered Luis, holding out his wine glass and insisting the others each clinked it, even though most of them were nearly empty. “Pride here we come!” he hollered, performing a little chair dance that was, presumably, a sign of immense approval.
“Nah, at least, not in my hearin’! You can never give a queen too many flattering remarks and shit, girl, what do we keep telling you?!” he roared, his loud laugh ringing off the windows.
Rory laughed, clinking her own glass with the others and taking a sip. If these were the kinds of things this place had in store for her, Rory knew she was going to love it here.
"Here, here. This is gonna be so much fun!"
Andrew laughed alongside her, draining his glass and setting it on the table before turning towards the boxes. “Speaking of, who wants a preview of the party we’ve got going on?” he asked, strolling towards a rail of garment bags. “Warning - Stella’s the ho, and I’m the classy bitch.”
The sheer excitement and joy that radiated from the four people in that room would have been infectious to anyone else around. "To Pride!" Laura clinked her mostly empty glass with Luis', before going back in for a refill.