RP: Dropping In Who: Benji & Iris What: Benji stops by to see his sister and finds Iris instead When: Wednesday, April 24, 2000 Where: Iris's house Warnings: Tbd Completion Status: In progress
When one didn't have an actual schedule, things needing doing at specific times on a daily basis as he'd had for so many years of farm work, it was easy for the days to bleed into one another, for Benji to entirely lose track of what day of the week it was. Which was why he found himself driving over to the house where his twin currently lived on Wednesday instead of the Thursday they'd agreed on.
Usually, he and Emilia would meet up on the property, but he'd put off going to the home in which she currently lived long enough. He could admit to himself that he'd simply been avoiding socializing, not quite ready for building a circle of people here just yet. His heart still ached for Laney, for all he'd lost when she'd refused to let him in, when she'd chosen to let him walk away. But he'd taken steps this last weekend, hadn't he? And Heather was a surprisingly easy person to be around. And so, it seemed reasonable to branch out a little more.
Benji's truck pulled up to the curb in front of the house, and he grabbed the simple fabric tote bag off the seat next to him, filled with the foods he would need to make the dinner he'd promised his sister. He'd left Pepper at the trailer, this time at least, though as he made his way up the walk, he wished he'd brought her along. Although he didn't see Emilia's car anywhere, he wasn't worried as he lifted a hand to knock. She could be parked in the garage, for all he knew. Iris had gotten out of school and put herself to the task of grinding the dried herbs she'd gotten just last weekend at the Farmer's Market. She had thrown on her usual, a thin sweater and just her panties, for comfort when she'd gotten home. None of the housemates had mentioned visitors, and they were used to her barely dressing when in the house. It was her house after all, but more importantly, she made sure to get certain vibes off of potential housemates.
So when she heard the knock on the door from the kitchen, it didn't even occur to her to change or not answer. She was simply in her natural state, in her home, after all.
Iris answered the door to the main living room with a smile, "Yes?" she asked, and immediately got a wave of vibes off the handsome, rugged-looking man. So many, and so jumbled, that she couldn't even place his nature. The person who opened the door was definitely not Emilia. That was Benji's first thought. His second thought was a startled, jumbled mess of whoa, because this woman--though perhaps female was more accurate, as there was something decidedly not human about her--was extraordinarily scantily clad. She was objectively attractive, there was no question about that, and it was easy to see just how far those freckles traveled down her body.
Not that he was letting his gaze linger on said body. A reflexive glace, and then he forced his eyes to stick to her face. "Hi, um, yeah, is Emilia home?" he asked, willing the awkwardness away. Unfortunately, the concrete beneath his boots did nothing to keep him grounded, but he wasn't about to run away. His sister would never let him live it down. Iris cocked her head and gave him a smile. He was adorable and... built. Unlike Benji, Iris didn't bother to hide the way her gaze moved up and down his body. He was solid, corded muscle if she was guessing right. Hot. But then he asked for Emilia and she pursed her lips - she liked Emilia, she wouldn't purposefully hit on someone she was seeing.
"She's not home." She gave him a sorry smile. "I'm Iris, housemate, landlord, whatever." She shrugged and put out her hand in a greeting shake. "I'm not sure when she'll be back - with her weird hours training, you know? But you're welcome to come in and wait if you want." The house was plenty big enough for him to do his own thing, and there were always strangers coming and going, it didn't bother Iris. In fact, most of the time, they were hers. This female was forward, which was definitely something Benji wasn't used to. She didn't even have to say anything, and yet he still felt like she was stripping him down with just the way she looked at him. And then, just as suddenly as she'd appeared, she seemed to pull some of that energy in, and he felt like he could breathe again.
Ahh, Iris. Well, he couldn't say Emilia hadn't warned him, though he would insist that his sister hadn't been as direct as she could have been. Or maybe Iris was just a difficult person to prepare others for. When she stuck her hand out, he glanced down briefly to take it, giving it a light, friendly shake before releasing it again. He certainly hadn't let his eyes take in the way her nipples peeked through that too-thin top she wore. Perhaps it was because she was fae. Perhaps modesty was antithesis to fae culture. He really couldn't say.
"Oh. We had plans..." He pulled a face as he wracked his memory, trying to figure out why Emilia wasn't home since they'd had plans. But then Iris was inviting him in, and he focused back on her freckled face again. "Today's Thursday, right? But, yeah, sure, I can come in. I was just going to cook for her," he admitted, lifting up the tote bag for her to see. She caught his brief glance and made a note to tell Emilia that her boo was looking at her chest, just in case he was considering hurting her friend. His hand felt good though - rough and well-worked, and big compared to hers.
"Wednesday," she said with a little laugh over her shoulder at him. "You okay?" He seemed... confused? Lost? Iris knew Robert had been giving Emilia puppy dog eyes just a couple weeks ago, so what's with this guy?
"You were going to cook for her? Don't you usually offer to cook at your own place for a romantic night in?" She had stopped and turned to watch him look around the common space of their living room. Benji sighed when she told him it was Wednesday, feeling a bit ridiculous for this whole exchange, which wouldn't have happened at all if he'd just double checked what day of the freaking week it was! "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just disoriented, I guess. I'm still not really used to not having a schedule," he admitted, shaking his head at himself and scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck as he stepped into the house after her.
Her questions had him sputtering briefly, as if he'd choked on his own saliva, and he looked at her aghast. "Romantic night in? Not sure that's appropriate with my sister," he pointed out, recovering most of his expression. "I'm Benji, by the way," he added, realizing that he'd failed to introduce himself when she'd told him her name. Her eyebrows raised a bit in interest when he clarified his relationship with her housemate. "Sister. Ah, that makes more sense." Mostly because she was pretty sure at his size and with his rage issues Robert could kick this guy's ass no matter how solid he seemed. Iris wouldn't have wanted that, though she would have been happy to help heal his wounds.
"Benji, nice to meet you." She looked him up and down again, and smiled, making a decision. "Well, the kitchen's this way, and I don't have dinner plans. Shall we?" Why let a romantic night in go to waste, right? Her utter nonchalance was disconcerting. She didn't seem to bat an eye at having implied he was romancing his sister, now that she knew he was Emilia's brother, and that was a bit mind-boggling. Maybe it was just a human hang-up, though. Maybe the fae were far less bothered by such things, though he still couldn't imagine incest was looked upon positively, even in fae culture. He certainly wasn't going to ask.
The way she just invited him to carry on with cooking the meal, but for her instead of Emilia, threw him off all over again, and he paused, his brows furrowing as he couldn't help but think she was looking at him like he was for dinner. And yet, he felt compelled to carry on, to cook the meal he'd planned and share it with this strange fae female. It didn't feel like there was any legitimate magical pull going on, but he admittedly didn't know much about fae magic.
"Okay," he finally said. He followed her into the kitchen and set the bag on a counter, though he didn't get right to it, as he didn't know his way around her kitchen and didn't want to be presumptuous. He also didn't know how he could ask her to please put on more clothes. Was he supposed to operate as if she wasn't half naked? She led the way to the kitchen and then started in on her mortar and pestle grinding again, paying him little mind though very aware of his presence. When she noticed him not really doing anything once he'd set the bags down, she turned and smiled. "Make yourself at home, really." She nodded in encouragement.
"You're not the first person to just wander in. Though... person. Are you a witch like your sister?" She and Emilia had been open with each other about their nature - not that Iris ever hid hers. She went back to her herbs and if she happened to stick her barely-covered ass out a bit more than normal as she ground away at the high counter, well, so be it. At her encouragement, Benji started pulling things out of the bag, setting them on the counter. He was about to ask her about any food preferences or restrictions she might have when she interrupted the thought with that question, and he glanced over at her in surprise again. He still wasn't used to people being so open with their natures. This area was so very different from back home.
"Uh, not exactly. I'm an Elemental?" he offered, not sure if she would know the subtle differences between elementals and witches. "Earth affinity," he added, anticipating that she might ask. He couldn't perform spells, really, but his connection with Earth was so intrinsic. It was like breathing. "Do you have... uhh, I'm not really sure how that works with the fae... an affinity?" he asked, glancing around to see if he could spot a cutting board and knife to start chopping vegetables. She chuckled at his attempts. "I'm an open book, Benji," she said his name like she wanted to scream it, all rolling breath and ease. "I'm linked to the Earth, too, actually. You might have noticed my garden coming in earlier than the rest of the neighborhood," she explained and then wiggled her fingers. It wasn't like magic came out of them, but her hands were certainly a tool in her work.
"That's funny, you'd think Emilia would mention we have such similar affinities." Then again, knowing Emilia, she probably wouldn't have wanted Iris to know she had a smoking hot brother who also understood the Earth like Iris did.
"Do you use your hands, too?" she asked, all innocent big round eyes. He couldn't help feeling called out at that, and he was purposefully ignoring her tone. It was much easier to focus on their shared affinity. "I did notice," he admitted. He was sure there was a euphemism there about gardens blooming early, but he certainly wasn't about to poke at that thought! "I've been doing a lot of work out at the property Em's buying, getting it ready for planting."
It didn't actually surprise him that Emilia hadn't mentioned it. His sister had a healthy respect for people telling their own things in their own time. He suspected that was a characteristic that made her a great doctor.
"Uh, yeah, of course. The magic... flows better with direct contact," he answered, purposefully going literal with it and ignoring the innuendo in her tone and expression. He finally found the cutting board and knife, and he started work prepping veggies. "Do you have any food restrictions or preferences?" he asked. "I bet it's beautiful, then, if you're tending it." She couldn't be accused of being coy, after all. But she also meant what she said - even among the Spring Court, not all of her Kind were attune to the Earth and its beautiful growth possibilities.
"Same," Iris agreed, moving closer to him to rest her hand lightly on his arm to show him, "Feel it?" She pushed the smallest bit of joy - warm and healing and vibrant - onto him. The contact certainly helped it flow better, even if she could just exude it. When he asked about the food, she broke the contact and the magic fizzled and softened to her usual low-level buzz and she shook her head. "No, I enjoy it all." "You flatter me," he said, looking at her with raised brows. How could she possibly know how skilled he was with it all? Unless something in her magic resonated with his? Benji didn't want to ask.
The physical contact surprised him, and the warmth flooding through the contact baffled him even as it sent a thread of peace through him. And then she was gone, and the magic was fizzling away, and he shook his head as if it would bring him back to the present. "Yeah, I could feel it," he answered belatedly.
"Oh good. I'm making a stir fry," he told her. There would be plenty if Emilia wanted some when she did finally get home tonight, and probably even enough for the other housemates if the girls wanted to share. Benji wasn't particular or selfish. "It's a little easier in a full-sized kitchen than over a campfire." It was easy for Iris to get a sense of people - Benji seemed hard working and earnest, though more complicated... Something sad below the surface, something very human. It was a lovely combination in a person, though harder for Iris to forget than the normal simple toys she met.
She gave him a light smile when he agreed about her magic, but reassured him. "Don't worry, I'm not glamouring you or anything, I've been accused of it, but that's not my game. I know too many Supes like that." She shook her head. "A stir fry sounds great," she added with a fun tone in her voice. "Wait, a campfire? You're living out there?" Oh no, that wouldn't do. "I didn't think you were," he told her softly. He liked to think he would be able to tell if someone were pulling that sort of magic on him, but it was entirely possible he wouldn't know what it would feel like. But he also didn't think Emilia would tolerate someone who would do that sort of thing, and his twin did seem to think highly of Iris.
She seemed surprised to hear he was living on the property, and he looked at her in confusion. "Yeah? I mean, I've got my truck camper, but it's working just fine for Pepper and I," he told her, his hands still working through chopping the veggies as they chatted, almost as if on autopilot. "Ah, so you do have a special lady in your life. Knew you were too good to be true," she said with a pout stepping back just a bit from him. Pepper had better be hot, at least.
"I still don't think it's right you're living out there, it can't be very warm at night at the very least. We have an extra room here, even since my brother stormed into town, if you two need." Sam had just sort of shown up and that was fine with her - she was pretty sure he'd be out soon enough considering he made constant snide, snarky remarks about her sexcapades and lack of clothing. Benji was very confused at first, until he realized she thought Pepper was a woman. A human woman. He let out a short bark of laughter, shaking his head. "Pepper is my best girl, definitely, but she's not a person. She's my dog," he clarified, perturbed by the thought that Iris might imagine him getting up to shenanigans with Pepper. So very disturbing. "I am very single," he added before he could think to keep it to himself. "And I plan to stay that way, at least for a while." His broken heart couldn't imagine being open to love again, not yet, though he knew he didn't want to live his life alone.
"But I promise, I'm really comfortable staying on the land. I appreciate the offer though." The last thing he needed was to see her flitting around half naked all the time. As attractive as she was, he simply wasn't comfortable with the display, and he wanted to be comfortable where he was living. "Do you have a different board for meat?" he asked as he finished cutting up the vegetables. Some people were particular about that sort of thing. She laughed with him, and gave him a goofy look. Of course his dog was his best girl. It made so much sense. "Well, I don't do not-being-single, so if you ever want no-strings company, just say the word," she said with a shrug. She would eat him alive if he wanted - she could just imagine his calloused hands gripping her ass, how his stubble would leave a pleasant/painful burn along her skin. She looked him up and down again. "Plus you cook, which is always a bonus," she said with a cheeky grin and stuck her tongue out at him before moving back to her dried herbs.
"Offer's always open, for a room, if you change your mind. Pepper would be more than welcome, too." And when he asked about the board she pointed with her free hand, to the cupboard she kept the boards in. She had lots of versions. "Use whatever you like," she added.
"You seem... Well, don't take me wrong here, but your sister is... More open minded than you seem." He seemed uncomfortable, which she couldn't understand. Benji wasn't sure if she meant that she didn't sleep with people who weren't single or if she only slept around casually with no interest in deeper relationships, but either way, he didn't think it really mattered. He wasn't the casual sort, never had been, and as objectively attractive as she was, that sort of surface attraction had never been enough for him. "Well, I'm happy to lend my skills in the kitchen a little more often, but I'm afraid that's all I'm willing to offer," he said, managing a small grin at the light teasing. He had to keep it light, otherwise he would probably embarrass himself with awkwardness.
She hadn't specified if she preferred to use a different cutting board for meats than veggies, and he had a feeling she was the sort of person that had no trouble expressing herself, so he let it go and decided to use the board he already had out. He went back to her knife block, picking a better one for meat, then went back to the cutting board. Opening the package of steak, he turned it out onto the cutting board and got to work slicing it into thin strips.
Her observation wasn't wrong, and he wasn't offended by it in the least. "She is," he confirmed. "I've always kind of felt like she and I were the personification of opposites. Like it's a twin thing? Male and female, earth and water, introverted and extroverted. I don't think I'm close-minded, per se, but yeah, I definitely lean more traditional than Em does." Em probably didn't bat an eye about Iris flitting about the house half naked. Iris laughed at his offer to cook. "I would pay good money for a personal chef so don't offer up too much of your time!" She couldn't cook, much as she loved having the right ingredients around and growing her own herbs, that was mostly for the smell. As he described his differences from his twin, and kept cooking, she stopped her own work and bottled up the herbs she already had done. Eventually she turned and leaned against the counter to just watch him.
"I can see that. Emilia seems like she could fit into just about anything, like adaptation is her magic or something," she said with a little chuckle. "The fact that she likes Robert says a lot about that, gods," she said with a roll of her eyes. Iris loved Robert, he was a good time, a dear friend, and a great lay, but, like, man was he a lot, too. "Duly noted," Benji replied with a small chuckle. She definitely was a lot, wasn't she? "But I do like cooking. There's something about being part of the whole process, farm to table, that's just really satisfying. Though I didn't grow any of this," he admitted. The farmer's market he'd purchased most of it from seemed to consist of small family farms, though, so he was optimistic that the food would be comparable, or at least close, to what he'd been able to grow in the past.
He couldn't argue that. "Yeah, she is kind of like that," he agreed easily. And then Iris brought up Robert, and he quirked a brow at the fae. "Oh yeah? What about him shows that in her?" he asked curiously. He'd never been one to meddle in his sister's love life, and he wasn't about to start now, but that didn't mean he couldn't get a little information, right? "If you ever need herbs, I happen to know a great garden to steal from," she said with a giggle. "You're always welcome, no permission necessary - all I ever ask is that people don't take too much." She wondered what he would make with her herbs, how delicious it would taste.
Iris sighed. "Don't get me wrong, Robert's one of my best friends, and he's a really, really good guy. But like all of us, he has his trauma. I don't know how much she's told you about him?" Honestly, she didn't know how much Robert had even told Emilia... Benji tossed her a grin, raising a brow at her. "Pretty sure it's not stealing if you have permission," he joked lightly. "But that's good to know. Where do you store your harvested ones?" he asked, waving a hand around the kitchen, thinking it would be much better to use fresh herbs than the store bought ones he'd assumed Emilia would have here. He hadn't really thought ahead to seasoning the food, if he were being honest.
"Essentially nothing," he offered. "Em and I have a sort of unspoken understanding about her love life. I don't ask and she doesn't tell unless it's something I need to know, and that's for her to decide." He loved his sister and could be protective of her, but he knew better than to meddle. She was more than capable of handling her own affairs. "But yeah, everyone's got their traumas," he agreed, looking down at the meat he was slicing. As much as he knew no one was obligated to share their trauma with anyone else, it still tore him up that Laney had chosen to shoulder her own. He still had no idea what had happened, and he had a feeling that would eternally haunt him. Iris pointed to the cupboard she'd just placed the ground herbs into. "Ground by hand, the drying ones are stored in there, too." In case he wanted anything whole.
Iris' face turned thoughtful. "I know," she began, still making a decision. She sighed. "But you should know, his are different than... ours." By 'ours' she meant Supes and hoped he understood. "He's human, and he's seen the worst of humans." War, rape, starvation, orphaned children... "He used to be in the military. And then he covered the wars in Eastern Europe as a journalist. He mostly keeps entirely to himself, but I know he still has night terrors, anger issues... It all comes from an intense place of compassion and hurt, and like I said, he's a really good guy - like, one of the best, truly - but that's kind of why he hurts the ways he does." She wasn't sure if she should have told him all of that, but she wanted Emilia to be safe, too. Iris had been there when Robert had screamed at night, had grabbed her thinking she was whatever was in his nightmares, and she could handle it - Fae, after all - but she didn't know about Emilia. As she told him about Robert, Benji wandered over to the cupboard, looking carefully through all the offerings before picking out the few he thought would work best in the stir fry. He was glad he was focused on that rather than on her, because the things she was telling him were making him very uncomfortable. It seemed like an invasion of privacy for her to be telling him. He hadn't even met this man his sister was flirting around something with, and he couldn't imagine Robert would appreciate him knowing his business, especially through a third party.
He was quiet as he made his way back to where he'd been prepping, letting her get it all out. And then, when it seemed she'd finished, he looked up at her, a deep well of compassion swimming in his eyes. "I'm going to fall on the side of, I hope you know all of that about him because he was able to open up to you about it, and so, if he and Em are getting serious, he'll open up to her too. And if that does happen, I trust that she'll help him however she can, even if that just means encouraging him to get any professional help he might need." Iris listened to him more patiently than she might otherwise, mostly because she really did like Emilia and didn't want her to get hurt. Not that she thought Robert would hurt her; intentionally, at least. She nodded. "I agree. If they become a thing, she'll find out." She didn't elaborate. She'd found out because of the night terrors. Drugs and sex could only stave them off so much, after all. He'd had to explain himself after the second time. And he'd only done so while they'd smoked up and he'd finally relaxed a little, his tone nearly dreamy, like he was telling a story that wasn't actually about him. She'd let him. And she'd known it was deeper than that, but she hadn't judged. Like Benji had said - they all had their traumas.
"Anyway, your sister moved to town and met someone. Have you?" He'd said he'd planned on being single, but that didn't mean he didn't have eyes, right? It seemed clear to him that the Robert topic was wrapping up, and he couldn't deny a measure of relief at it. He decided then and there that he would keep this part of their conversation to himself. There was no reason for Emilia to know he'd learned things about Robert through Iris rather than from her or the man himself.
Completely without his permission, his mind flashed to Heather at her question, the wolf-woman who had been so friendly and kind enough to show him and Pepper some good trails. He wasn't sure if his feelings for her could go beyond friendship, not yet, but he couldn't deny that he'd met her, could he? "Uh, yeah, I've made a friend," he answered, feeling ridiculous. He'd been here over a month, and he'd made one whole friend. He just couldn't seem to help that he kept to himself. Iris watched him think with a coy smile. "Two friends," she corrected him. Iris was very good at making friends. And more than. But she also fully understood when someone wasn't interested. Well, she respected it, even if she couldn't understand, because honestly: who wouldn't be interested in her? But, you know, she wasn't one to yuck anyone's yum.
"So, who's your friend?" she asked. Benji glanced over at her at the correction, his brows furrowing briefly first before he realized what she meant, and his expression relaxed into a soft smile. "Two, then," he agreed, willing to accept her as a friend even if there was something terrifying about her utter lack of inhibitions. He had, at least, almost forgotten that she was practically naked, as he'd lost himself in the food prep and conversation.
"Oh, her name is Heather," he offered as he reached up to grab an impressive looking wok from the pans hanging from the ceiling above the island counter. Emilia had mentioned that the community was fairly close-knit, so he wondered if Iris would know of Heather even without a last name offered. He couldn't remember if she'd told him her last name, but it didn't matter much to him. Feeling a little more relaxed about this adventure, he poked around the cupboards next to the stove until he found the cooking oils.