a small moment of quiet Who: Emily Miliona & Cormac Hier What: It was Emily's birthday and Cormac came by to present her with a gift and to have dinner Where: The Miliona Home When: Scorpio 18 Rating: PG Status: Complete
Cormac didn’t really want to actually leave his work. While he understood the importance of it being his fiance’s birthday, he also knew that the disease he’d seen in the outlands was dangerously close to the city. He would’ve felt much more at ease if he was still working, but this would only take a few hours.
At least, that’s what the mage told himself.
Getting to the door of the estate wasn’t hard. He’d taken a hovercab. He didn’t feel the need to own his own form of transport. Chocobos were just too much responsibility after all. Ridley had wonderfully reminded him he needed to shower and shave before actually leaving the clinic. And he’d ironed his own clothes for the first time in years. He used to be so much more efficient about the whole thing, until he’d just stopped caring. Then it was all laid out for him all the time. He hadn’t even gotten to that part of Ridley’s job. Maybe he’d just make her take things down to the cleaners and pick them up instead. He didn’t know if she could iron, even if she was very well organized.
He was wearing white, as per his trade. He felt it was appropriate to drive the point home that he was a healer, even if the stupid rumor mill a few months back pointed out he frequented whore houses after the death of their daughter. The fact that she’d caught him in bed with two of them didn’t seem to deter her at all, so he guessed it wasn’t all that bad? He was overthinking this. He’d met her parents on several occasions. It was just that he’d never actually sat down and had dinner with them. This was going to be him, Emily, and two people that really did not make him feel comfortable. While he didn’t care what they thought, they did bring his Emily into the world, so that had to count for something.
Well, no it didn’t.
He made his way up the steps of her home and rang the bell and waited. His hand smoothed over his coat, feeling the little box against his chest. This plague had chosen the worst, absolute worst, time to hit.
Things with her parents were often that uncomfortable quiet especially since her miraculous return to Emillion. Yet tonight was different because for once, Cormac was going to be there. She had bided her time till she brought him over and her birthday presented the perfect opportunity for that. In a subtle way it was her way of telling her parents that she wasn't going to bend to their will, and in another, it was going to rescue her from ill company on her birthday. Cormac was exceptionally busy lately, with good reason, and with her request she stay inside, it was starting to take its toll on her patience.
The bell at the door rang and Emily came around to the lobby as one of their servants answered. Cormac stood there, standing in white, and a genuine smile appeared on her face. She half expected to get a note from him saying he wasn't going to be there, and yet he came anyway. If she believed in a god, she'd take the time to thank him later, but seeing as she didn't…
"Cormac," she walked over and greeted him with a gentle kiss on his lips and then whispered, "thank you." She'd have made some comment about how she might have killed her parents if he hadn't come, but murder, she felt, was still a sensitive issue.
Cormac greeted the servant with his usual tightlipped hello, just before he'd spotted her. The man had insisted on taking his coat, so he'd removed it for him. He handed it over, just in time to meet with Emily.
Her smile was radiant. He expected her to be pleased, but not just so openly happy. There were secretive smiles, knowing smiles, conspiratorial smiles, but this was a rare one that he didn't get to see often, not even when they were alone. She gave him a soft kiss, which was easily returned. His arm snaked around her waist and held her closer, even as she thanked him. "Hmmm? I haven't even given you anything yet," he said hinting toward the gift that was yet to come. "Oh, before we go in, I did want to give you these," he said holding up a notebook and a bag containing a memstone. "I know you're doing the black magic thing now, but you were a white mage before."
He just wanted to get it out of the way so he could enjoy the rest of the evening without having to bring it up awkwardly at the end.
The servant walked away and afforded Emily a brief moment with Cormac alone, in which she said, "You being here is a present enough. Last thing I want is to spend my birthday with just my parents." And how true that was. By now Cormac was aware of how Emily felt about most people, though not all. Still, her parents were the chief cause behind her "death" a few years before and time away did nothing to diminish her dislike of them. If anything, it only motivated her.
"Does this have to do with the you know what?" Emily said, knowing that by now the walls remembered they could hear. It wasn't so much that her family didn't know, but she was sure that the servants were like to gossip or blow things out of proportion. She took the notebook and bag from him, "I'll see what I can do with it and what I can offer. You know me when it comes to magic, I'm a perfectionist." She was the one who practiced non-stop to make sure that when she cast spells it was like exhaling. Completely natural and relaxed.
She eyed him cautiously and then motioned, "Dinner is waiting."
No, Emily wouldn't want to have dinner alone with her parents. She'd insist on him suffering with her. "Good training for after we're married," he said, almost as if he believed his own words.
"And yes, it does. I know the timing is off, but I might not be able to see a lot of you after tonight if this does happen," which was very very upsetting. After she agreed to help, he swept her into his arms. "Well, you just want everything to be as perfect as you are." Seriously, the things that came out of his mouth. He frowned.
"Do you want your present before or after dinner?" Who knew if they'd be able to steal a moment alone, before he had to return back to the sweatshop he referred to as a lab.
If Emily had her way, then no, they wouldn't have to deal with her parents because they'd either be dead or in a jail rotting. Or worse. And yes, Emily could come up with worse. Her expression turned to one that was hard to read when Cormac told her that he likely wouldn't see much of her. Emily didn't like the idea of being cooped up in her home with her parents for company, and even more so, she didn't like that he was risking himself so much.
She gave him a funny look now, the expression now readable. Flattered. "Yes, well, perfection is an illusion, Cormac." But the idea of him calling her perfect, well, damn him for meaning so much to her.
"Before," she said quickly, "Chances are you'll be called into duty part way through dinner and then who knows when I'll see you next?" Emily frowned and caressed his cheek. They had a few minutes or so before her parents would decide to intervene. Confined to her house, she couldn't just leave the house and spent most of her day with Cormac like she'd wish to.
She was surprised he brought a gift though. Emily half expected him to forget. Especially with this plague business.
Ems was doing that thing with her face. He was sure that he had something that made her upset, but she rarely looked upset. Like that time right after she got a face full of potion. She deserved that though. She’d made him think he was dead, then came back right after an undead invasion of the city. He’d wondered more than once if she’d had something to do with that, but it had pretty much stopped once she got into town, and there were other things that happened that felt like they negated the entire possibility. Not that he would’ve turned her over or anything.
When it gave way to something he recognized, a smile came easily. “Well, you’re a very good liar,” he said pressing his lips to the top of her head.
As per her request, he let her go so that he could reach into the pocket against his chest and pull out a small velvet box, and hand it to her. While he thought of maybe getting her a necklace with a dagger on it to be their little joke, but instead, it was a gold chain with a ruby pendant. He felt that was far less conspicuous and also red looked good on her.
"Some might say the best," Emily accepted the kiss appreciatively. They both knew she was right though. The only person to ever see Emily without the facade was Cormac. He knew her well enough now, even with a five year absence, that he could see her slip between the two with ease. She looked as he drew out the box and then took it from his grasp.
Emily's fingers pressed against the lid, pulling it open with a soft "pop" sound and she looked at the necklace inside. Red. She was fond of the color and smiled, lifting the necklace from the box to allow the jewel to dangle between her fingers to observe it.
"It looks expensive," she said eyeing him, "You didn't spend too much on it, did you?" Not that she minded him spending a lot of money, but she knew about his gambling habit and she was gauging to find out if it was still a habit.
“Don’t criticize your present, Lady, Milliona. It’s not polite,” he said with a raised brow. “Turn around so I can put it on you. Then you can wear it in, and your parents can give me the evil eye when they think you’re not looking,” he said turning her around. “The experience truly makes these visits worthwhile.”
Taking the chain from her hands, he waited for her to move her hair out of the way before connecting the clasp.
Emily allowed him to take the necklace from her grasp, allowing him to turn her about. She took hold of her hair, slipping it away from the back of her neck. She looked ahead and mused over his comment about her parents. "They're losing their touch," she chuckled, "or perhaps just slipping with time." Or maybe the game changed and they hadn't adjusted to it. Emily learned to be who she was from her parents, but then she perfected it.
"Or you're good at seeing that sort of thing," she supplied as yet another explanation, "Either way, it's good to see you find it amusing. I've gotten quite the earful about that gossip that was floating around."
Yes, that gossip article claiming that Cormac and Cian were something more than just "friends." Emily got a good laugh out of it, but it was just more of what her parents tried to use to tear them apart. "I expect you've been heckled enough about that though." It was a pity she couldn't be part of that initial group, before it got old.
There really wasn't another word than perfect to describe how it fell upon her chest. The chain was just the right length and the stone just the right color against her skin. "When this is over--" he started before they were rudely interrupted. He blinked and turned his head toward the servant who had decided to clear his throat in order to announce his presence.
Instead of looking angry, he just looked tired and annoyed. "Let's go eat before some bodies start to mysteriously pop up around the house after dinner."
Emily looked intently at Cormac and then he stopped. She frowned a little and turned at the sound of coughing from the servant. Of course, she thought irritatedly but it didn't show. "You need a good meal anyway," she replied and took hold of his arm so they could walk in to the dining room together, "Chances are you'll be too busy otherwise to do that."
There was a plague out there and of all the people she wanted to survive this, the only one was Cormac. With her free hand, she touched the chain that rested on her collarbone, following it down to the jewel itself, and started forward.
They moved through the eerily still hallway to where the dining room was lit and her parents, dressed in fine robes waited to receive them. "If you want to leave after half an hour, I'll let it go this time," she said under her breath before she went to greet her parents. Hopefully Cormac would stay long enough that he could at least get the meal he should.
"It will be nice to actually sit down," he said with a shrug as Emily took his arm and began to lead him down the hall. "Who knows? You might be stuck with me for hours."