Nora Cadwallader (safekeep) wrote in disorderic, @ 2017-09-03 14:18:00 |
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An hour into the barbecue, Baz abandoned his post at the grill to go greet some of their guests. The latest arrivals breezed in like a gust of warm air; he greeted them all with a crooked smile, determined to be as positive and upbeat as possible. But there was a dull thud in his chest every time his thoughts drifted to his parents. He felt their absence keenly: he could almost feel his mother’s magnetic presence, he could almost hear his father’s critiques of his grilling techniques. For one brief moment, dismay unfurled across his face. A beat later, his eyes landed on his sister, and his expression snapped back into one of positivity. Pushing the thoughts of his parents aside, he strode over to where she was standing. “Nora, Nora, Nora,” he said, spearing one of the grilled vegetables on his plate with a fork as he flanked her. “We can’t keep running into each other like this. People might start to suspect we get along.” "Hmm," Nora said, just as troubled by the implication as Baz was. "You probably shouldn't keep inviting me to barbeques, then. Have you got a Nerf gun or something? Maybe if we start shooting foam arrows at each other, we'll have them all fooled." Baz made a show of patting himself down with his free hand before he said, “Damn, I left my Nerf gun in my other trousers.” He grinned at his sister, delighted by the mental image of a foam arrow fight, before continuing, “But I think I might have a pair of Super Soakers in my room. Will that work?” Nora's eyes gleamed. "Do you really?" Baz barked a laugh. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t.” Nora pretended to pout (with a bit of real pout thrown in -- Super Soakers would have been fun!), making a face as she skewered one of the veggies off her brother's plate in spite. "Shouldn't get somebody's hopes up like that. Now what are we supposed to do for fun? Talk to each other?" “That sounds dreadful,” Baz replied, wrinkling his nose. But a burst of laughter escaped him a moment later, loud and genuine. He didn’t need to throw a glossy veneer over his mood with Nora — she always had a knack for making him smile. He made a point of holding his plate out of her reach as he said, “I suppose I could ask if you’re enjoying yourself, you thief. That’d be the polite thing to do.” "I suppose I could say yes," Nora said. "That'd be the polite thing to do." She bit into her stolen veggies, and her mood shifted slightly from joking to something quieter and more genuine. "Seriously, thank you for doing this today. This has been … really nice." It was exactly what Baz wanted to hear. The goal of the barbecue had been to distract, to cheer up, to keep people from thinking of distant loved ones, missing children, and a school run by Death Eaters. Everything seemed to be going according to plan so far and he couldn’t be more relieved. “I’m really, really glad,” Baz replied, flashing his sister a broad smile. “I was hoping everyone would be able to, you know, relax and take a break from the world.” His smile waned, just a little, as he added, “Even if it’s just a momentary break from the world.” "Let's not even bring the world into it," she said. It was hard--impossible even--not to. To just pretend this was a normal day and a normal barbeque. To even know what normal was anymore. But Nora was going to try, for Baz's sake as much as her own. And so, a shift. "Do you think you can even still buy Super Soakers? Is that a thing kids still do? Seems dangerous for all their iPads and all." “You’re making yourself sound ancient, Nor,” Baz teased. He paused to take a bite out of a piece of grilled zucchini, then pitched his voice up in a poor impression of his sister. “Do you think the youths even bother to go outside? Do they know about the world beyond technology?” "Yeah, exactly." Nora grinned. "Go outside but get off my lawn. Kids these days. Something about millennials, probably. Which industry are you ruining now?" she asked as if she wasn't also technically a millennial herself. "You'll see, Baz. Once you turn thirty, everything is too young and too loud." “I’m preserving myself at my current age so I never have to worry about being thirty,” he said, all but spitting the last word out. But there was a small smile tugging at the corner of Baz’s mouth, and he laughed — a single “ha!” — before he stabbed at another vegetable on his plate. “I’ve defeated the aging process, you see.” "Is this a philosopher's stone situation, or are you getting yourself frozen, or what's the plan here, Baz? Just eating really, really healthy?" Nora asked. "You could make a fortune with it, you know. It's too late for me, of course, wizened old crone that I am, but you could probably still share with friends." “Wizened old crone?” Baz repeated, both eyebrows shooting up. He wagged his fork at her. “Why, Nora, you don’t look a day over forty-five.” Nora's eyes flashed with annoyance, though she played up just how much. "Oh ho, I bet you think you're very funny." “Funny, smart, handsome, willing to have himself cryogenically frozen…” Baz pretended to inspect his fingernails. “I’m a many of many talents, sis.” "And so humble." “That’s what they tell me,” Baz replied with a grin, though he did not elaborate on who this mysterious ‘they’ was. Truth be told, no one had ever accused Baz of humility, but he didn’t think there was anything wrong with exuding an unshakable confidence. He straightened up to his full height and scanned the crowd, mentally bookmarking the locations of Gwen and Chelsea. “Have you had a chance to hang out with Toby yet?” he asked, attention swiveling back to his sister. “He’s my favorite roommate.” "I would threaten to tell Chelsea and Gwen that you said that, but I'm pretty sure they already know," Nora said, following her brother's gaze about the party. "And he definitely knows he's the cutest one in the house, so." “Which is quite the accomplishment,” Baz replied with a laugh, “as we are quite the attractive bunch.” "And there's that wonderful humility again." Nora smiled. "Not to stoke your gigantic ego or anything, but this is a really great party. And you have guest who aren't your dumb big sister to mingle with, so I'm going to go find Rhys. And maybe Toby. If he goes missing, it probably wasn't us." “I’ve got my eye on you!” Baz called after her retreating figure. Laughing to himself, he made his way back the grill. |