Who: Elijah, Clawdeen, Deuce What: dinner Where: E’s and C’s house When: Mar. 26th Warnings: low Status: g-doc
Elijah slowly learned how to cook. He’d gotten better since his ward arrived, which worked out well, because Elijah didn’t particularly want to starve his ward or serve her inedible food. Tonight, since she planned on introducing her guardian to her boyfriend, Elijah cooked ramen for the trio, along with a salad and a loaf of herbed sourdough he bought from the bakery.
He wore a suit, as per usual. The ramen simmered, needing a bit longer to cook before he added the jammy eggs. Of course, the Original poured himself bourbon and ensured a variety of alcohol free drinks existed for the teens.
Clawdeen wasn’t as nervous as she had thought she would be; she trusted Elijah and Deuce both and she was sure that they would get along. Somehow she just knew everything was going to work out for the best. So, she had dressed quickly, Crescent already curled up in her little bed taking a nap. She was so glad that Elijah had been understanding about the little pup, because Crescent really was her best friend, but more than that it was the fact that for the longest time Crescent had been her only friend. So, Clawdeen was very protective of the little pup.
Finally, she came bounding down the stairs dressed in a fashionable dress, boots and her usual pendant. Of course, Crescent had woken up the minute Clawdeen had opened the bedroom door, so the little pup followed her into the kitchen.
“Elijah!” she greeted happily, bouncing over to him with a big smile on her face.
Deuce wasn’t super nervous about this. Maybe a little, but not terribly. He had good intentions towards Clawdeen and he wasn’t planning to be a jerk about, well, anything, really. He knew that you should bring something to a dinner, so he’d brought along a really pretty pie from the bakery. He was too young to bring wine, so it was the best thing he could think of.
Reaching the apartment, he knocked on the door. He was dressed in what was fairly typical clothing for him - jeans, a green shirt - it was button-down, since he was trying to look nice - and boots. His beanie, of course, was covering his snakes.
After he knocked, he settled back and waited for someone to answer.
*** “Hey Clawdeen. You look nice.” Elijah offered his ward a smile, although probably a little more reserved, since he himself was reserved. The new house had gotten some work done so it felt a bit more like him and Clawdeen and less like a redneck sanctuary of taxidermied animals.
“Do you want me to answer the door or do you want to do so?” Clawdeen should have the option since it was her boyfriend.
“Thank you” she responded, the smile never really leaving her face as she made her way around the kitchen. Crescent bounded over to Elijah and nuzzled at his ankle, greeting him. It was clear that Clawdeen wasn’t the only one fond of her guardian and that made her very happy. It was nice to know that Crescent liked Elijah, because she would hate for the pup to feel uncomfortable in their home. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be something that she would have to worry about.
The knock on the door brought her out of those thoughts and her smile widened slightly. “I will get it” she responded, practically running to the door. After all, she was very excited to see Deuce again, but then she usually was. She pulled the door open, smiling at the young man on the other side. “Deuce” she greeted happily, leaning in for a hug. It was just her nature; she was very friendly, so it made sense for her to be even more so with her boyfriend.
Deuce hugged her back as best he could while still holding the pie. It wasn’t too hard, but a little more awkward than he would have liked. Nothing to do with her, though. When he pulled back, he smiled, and offered the pie to her.
“Here, it’s apple. That’s…normal for humans, right?”
She had a lot more experience with that sort of thing than he did, being completely raised in the monster world.
*** Elijah still hadn’t gotten used to an animal liking him. Generally, they avoided the Original, but he did bend down to pat Crescent’s head. He liked Crescent and Clawdeen, although their enthusiasm still felt like a lot to him.
“Why don’t you invite your young man inside and offer him a drink, Clawdeen?” Elijah called. “The pie is appreciated.” Although the comment about humans concerned the vampire. Did the young man believe Elijah to be human?
She thought that it was nice of him to bring something and she felt herself adoring him even more for the thought. This kind of thing really was new for him, because he hadn’t ever lived in a human world, so the fact that he was trying so hard to blend in made her feel for him. She wanted him to know that he didn’t have to do that for her. All she wanted was for him to be himself, because she liked him just the way he was. But before she could say anything to him about it, she heard Elijah’s voice and she made a mental note to talk to him about later instead.
Clawdeen did as Elijah asked and stepped back and made sure to keep the smile on her face. “Come on in” she said, giving him an encouraging nod. For some reason she just knew that Elijah would like Deuce and Deuce would like Elijah. They both already had two things in common. They both cared about her and they both had a similar composed mentality….which was a good thing, because she had more than enough energy and bubbling enthusiasm for the three of them combined.
Deuce stepped inside as Clawdeen invited him, smiling. He really didn’t have anything to be nervous about, but he did hope that Elijah ended up liking him. It would kind of suck for both him and Clawdeen if he didn’t. And Gorgons, in his world, anyway, weren’t the most beloved of monsters.
Seeing Elijah, he held out his hand warmly.
“I’m Deuce Gorgon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
*** Elijah smiled and held out his hand to shake the young man’s. “Nice to meet you. I’m Elijah Mikaelson.” So far the young man seemed rather polite and obviously Clawdeen liked him a lot. The Original wanted good things for his ward, who seemed happy and bubbly, two things Elijah definitely could not call himself.
“Oh apple pie? It smells great.” Elijah didn’t really eat pie, but he’d eat a slice if the young man went to the trouble to bring it to the house.
“Deuce, why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself. Where do you call home?” That seemed like a simple enough question. “You and Clawdeen know each other from home then?”
Clawdeen watched as they shook hands, the smile still on her face. It was nice to have the two of them meeting and she was still hopeful that they would like one another. Crescent did move to greet Deuce as well, but she waited her turn. It was almost as if the little pup understood that the two men were talking and she would wait her turn. It was yet another way that Crescent was special; she understood people far better than any typical pet ever could. Clawdeen loved her for it.
When she heard Elijah’s question to Deuce, she made sure to listen for the response as well in case he told more about his home life. Of course, they had already talked quite a bit, but she was always happy to learn new things about her boyfriend. Though, she did nod slightly as the second portion of Elijah’s question, so that she could confirm that they did know one another from their homeworld.
“Well, most of the time now I’m at school, so Monster High is more home than anywhere else. I’m sure Clawdeen has told you all about it. We both go there, and it’s pretty great. A place where we can be our authentic selves. And monsters can’t be their authentic selves in most places.” He paused. “Home is Greece. That’s where my moms are, and where I go when I’m not in school and can’t find anywhere else to go.” He grinned crookedly. “My moms can be a little much sometimes.”
He loved them, but they weren’t the kind of gorgon that he wanted desperately to be.
*** Elijah might find Clawdeen’s enthusiasm a bit overwhelming at times, but her kindness and manners warned the Original towards his ward. Plus, her pup was adorable, even if it was the first time Elijah lived with a pet.
He nodded. “I’m glad to hear you enjoy school. Hopefully, you’re settling in with the school here, along with Clawdeen.” Elijah offered the young man a glass of ice water. “We also have lemonade, iced tea, and a couple sodas. Why don’t we go into the kitchen?” The Original needed to check on the ramen anyway and get ready to add the eggs.
“Greece is such a beautiful country. I’m glad to hear you still have your moms.” Elijah grinned. “So can some of my family.” Himself included.
Clawdeen listened to the two of them talking, glad that they finally had the chance to get to know one another. And when Elijah suggested that they all make their way into the kitchen she nodded her head in agreement. This way they could sit down and talk some more while Elijah finished getting the meal ready. And, of course if he were to need any help she would be right there.
She knew that families could sometimes be hard; even her own had its problems. Her dad was human, her mom was missing and then there was the fact that they didn’t even really know that full story. So, while it may not be the same issue, she could understand having trouble with one’s family.
Deuce followed them into the kitchen, accepting a soda as he did. Human sodas were still a little odd to him - different than what he was used to - but he liked them all the same.
“Yeah, I guess it is beautiful,” he shrugged. It hadn’t been an easy place to grow up, though, what with being one of the most feared monsters in the place. He’d always wanted to get along with people and make friends, but it hadn’t been easy. Not before Monster High.
“I think family can be that way a lot of times,” he nodded. “It doesn’t make you stop loving them, but it can definitely be a pain in the butt.”
*** Elijah knew just how dangerous his siblings could be, he could be. After all, Elijah might be called the Noble one, but he had as much bloodshed as his brothers. Possibly more, only he hid it better. At least he started to mend the fence with Kol, and he’d always been close with his sisters. Klaus, though? Hit or miss these days. Didn’t mean Elijah didn’t love Klaus, but sometimes his brother made Elijah want to bang his head on a wall.
“I understand family being a pain. Most of my siblings are here and…we don’t always get along.” Which seemed the most diplomatic explanation.
The Original checked on the ramen. “Clawdeen, can you wrap the bread in some tinfoil? It’s time to warm it in the oven.” Thankfully dinner would be ready soon.
Clawdeen listened as they talked, because even she could understand that this evening was supposed to be about them getting to know one another. So, she wanted to make sure that she gave them the room to do that. After all, she did want this to go well for all parties, so she was trying her best to not ruin everything by being too excited or chatty. It wasn’t easy for her to be so quiet though, but she knew that if this evening went well it would be well worth the effort she was putting in.
When Elijah said her name though she did jump just a little, because she hadn’t been expecting it. But, she recovered quickly and went right to work on the task he had asked her to perform. “Of course” she replied, wanting him to know that she was doing it. She didn’t want him to think she was ignoring him, after all.
Deuce smiled, and followed Clawdeen into the kitchen to see if he could help as well. He didn’t want to be useless, after all. At the same time, he continued talking to Elijah.
“None of my family is here,” he said, “And I guess that’s good. There was another gorgon here earlier who I would have liked to have gotten to know better, but he disappeared a few days ago.”
He looked up at Elijah and smiled.
“Can I set the table?”
It was almost time for dinner, and he looked forward to getting to know Clawdeen’s guardian better.