Isobel Brandt \\ Persephone (praxidike) wrote in paxletalelogs, @ 2017-05-03 08:11:00 |
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Entry tags: | freyr, persephone, uke mochi |
it's my housewarming, i'll cry if i want to
Who: Isobel, Rafe, & Alice.
What: Isobel has a housewarming dinner in her new apartment.
Where: Pax Letale #105.
When: May 3.
A few pieces of furniture and a handful of boxes were all Isobel had to her name; Hanni was curled up on the fold-out couch she'd gotten from a nearby Goodwill. She wasn't sure if it was sad or said something else that the majority of what existed in her shared apartment with Obed belonged to him, though he would not have said as much; instead, she ignored the thought and focused on the whole reason why she was now alone.
She pulled the oven door open and checked on the ribs for the umpteenth time, simply for want of something to do while she waited for her friends to arrive; she'd started the meat less than an hour ago, but wanted it done well before anyone got there. The smell wafted through the kitchen to her small living area, eliciting a yip from the small, furry creature therein. Hanni jumped off the couch and ran to join her, dancing around her feet for a treat.
"All right, all right," she said, unable to not grin. "I've got something around here for you." Isobel started sorting through boxes and bags, trying to find the dog treats she'd packed along with the rest of Hanni's canine belongings.
Shortly after, a knock sounded at the door. Rafael stood outside, a bottle of Syrah in one hand, a bag of organic dog biscuits in the other. He smiled brightly when Isobel answered. "Hi, neighbors," he said, sliding gingerly past her to move into the apartment when bid. "I brought you both a little something. Want me to put them in the kitchen?"
"Yes, please," she replied, about to follow him when another knock sounded at the door. She grinned at Rafe's receding figure. "Did you guys plan this?" She teased, moving to open the door a second time, waving Alice inside. "Come on in, sorry, the boxes will be more dealt with soon..." Hanni danced around Rafe's feet, coming to Alice's only to dart back again. "And if he's getting out of hand I can crate him."
“Nooo,” Alice responded with a laugh as the tiny dog tried to jump up to lick Alice’s hand. “He’s perfectly fine and expressing how excited we all are.” With a quick pet to his knobby little head, Alice turned her attention to Isobel and held up a cake container. “I’ve brought cake. I thought you’d like it, with your job and all. It’s a strawberry cake, as promised you both are my taste testers, but it has a thyme syrup soaked into the cake portion and the icing is a strawberry cheesecake icing. If it’s alright and you both approve, I’m going to make it as cupcakes for the shop.”
With a flourish, Alice placed the cake on the counter and moved quickly to give hugs to both Rafael and Isobel. “I’ve been looking forward to this! And the food smells so good.”
Isobel returned the embrace easily, moving to scooch the cake back another inch or two from the counter's edge as her mind's eye could easily envision Hanni reaching just a corner of the plate the dessert sat on. Then she waved both of her guests toward the small table currently situated in the living room.
"This won't be here permanently, but it works for now; ah, let me get some glasses, so we can enjoy what Rafe brought. The meat's got a little bit more to go, but it should be done soon!" She moved back into the kitchen to retrieve three stemmed glasses, not quite wine glasses nor simple glass tumblers. "This is all I've got right now, please don't deduct from my hostess score, all right? And I think I've got a wine bottle opener, too..." She set the glasses down on the table, along with the bottle Rafe had brought, disappearing into the kitchen area as she opened drawers to try and recall where she'd put the needed item.
Rafael hung close behind her, an overly helpful shadow; he found the wine opener toward the back of one drawer laden with utensils. "You're a perfect hostess," he said, handing the opener to her. Isobel smiled gratefully, took the tool and opened the wine, pouring an equal amount for everyone. "So don't worry about that at all. And after dinner I'll be glad to help you with some more boxes. The barbecue is already smelling distractingly good." He gave her a sly, sidelong smile. "Is this a recipe you can share, or...?"
“Hanni! Come here!” Alice, sitting at the table, patted her knee and urged for the little dog to come to her, which he did and happily so. Alice contently pet the dog, whispering loving words to the dog before looking back at her friends; Hanni stood on his little hind feet, paws on Alice's legs sas he panted excitedly amid all the attention. “I second that,” Alice called. “I would probably butcher this recipe but it smells delicious. Maybe I shouldn’t have worn this shirt. I bet I’m going to get bits of food all over it.” She plucked at her pale blue sleeveless shirt that had a print of tiny pineapples over it.
"Oh, I have napkins," Isobel assured her, moving back to the kitchen to double check on the ribs once more. One prod of a fork revealed that they were true and well done, so she slipped on an oven mitt and removed them from the warm confines they were installed in. She moved to get plates, breaking the ribs off in threes, setting them wherever there was counter space. "And it's really not that much of a recipe, I just have this sauce that I slathered on them; it's my grandmothers, and I suppose if you promise not to put it on the internet and spread it everywhere, I can tell you." She might have added something about her grandmother coming up to yell at her about spreading family secrets, but Isobel knew the elderly woman wouldn't be bothered to see what Isobel was up to since she'd moved out of Texas. Out of sight, out of mind, seemed to be her family's motto.
"I've got cornbread, too," she offered. "Um, you guys can come grab your plates." She didn't have enough hands to serve everyone, so instead she just dished up enough for each -- ribs, some green salad made mostly of arugula, tomatoes, and olives covered in vinaigrette, and a side of the described cornbread. Isobel grabbed a roll of paper towels and moved to put them on the table with her own plate. "We could always make a bib out of these, Alice, if you feel like you're still going to get messy," she offered in a teasing tone, feeling far more at home now that there were others there.
Rafael chuckled. "I'll make one if you do," he said, winking over at Alice as she got up from her seat and moved to the kitchen. He took up his plate and followed Isobel over to the table, sipping at his wine as he walked. He returned to the kitchen for the bottle, placing it on the table well within everyone's reach. He tucked into his food as soon as the others were seated, nibbling at one of the ribs after a few bites of perfectly fresh salad.
"I definitely need this recipe," he said, sucking sauce from one fingertip. "Your grandma's secret is safe with me..."
“Yeah, this is delicious,” Alice said with a happy sigh, her fingers already covered in sauce. She looked at Isobel and offered an encouraging smile. “You know, if the nursery doesn’t work out, you could always open up a Texas barbeque joint. Maybe you could get one of the stores on the bakery’s street!”
Isobel started digging into her own portion, a smile not far from her lips even as they were covered in barbecue. The expression dimmed at Alice's suggestion, but she didn't let it linger.
"Maybe," she replied, wiping her hand off before picking up a piece of cornbread. It hovered in mid-air for a moment. "So...how is everyone? After, you know, the floor changes?" She took a bite, filling her mouth and impeding further talk; her eyes darted between her two guests.
Rafael suddenly busied himself with gingerly picking at one of the ribs remaining on his plate. After one lingering bite, he found an answer he could share. "Better," he said, "now that they're back to normal. It's a little worrying that Stephan acts like this is all normal and nothing worth discussing. Even the people I was supposed to meet, or call, or whatever while things were different… no-one seems to have noticed at all." He shrugged. "But I suppose it could have gone worse…"
He chewed his lip, looking at Isobel with naked concern on his face. He wanted to ask how she was, but it was clear she had little desire to discuss it, at least for the moment. So he glanced to Alice instead, ready to act upon whatever cue she gave.
“Back to normal,” Alice said with a small shrug. “No wheat in my hair, and nothing weird with the bakery which was honestly a relief. I… I went out with Lucas one afternoon. He didn’t have anything weird happen to him like with us, but he did see something crazy about butterflies. Brit is back to normal too. It all sort of feels like it was a weird dream, you know? Like my brain is at war with itself. Part of me knows it happened but another part of me is like, no, it couldn’t have.” She frowned, but chased the frown away with a bite of the ribs, the sauce already staining her fingers and lips but the taste was something she couldn’t surpass in favor of being neat.
Isobel nodded in agreement; the whole week had felt surreal, unreal. Part of her wished that she hadn't risen the topic, but here they were.
"It really is like nothing at all happened. It's so strange." She put a finished rib back onto the plate, wiping her hands with a napkin. "But at least things are back to normal. Or, well, close to normal." Wrapping the bone in a paper towel, she carefully set it on the floor where Hanni could reach it; the tiny dog immediately ripped through the barrier and laved the treat with his tongue. A smile wiped over her face, and Isobel pulled her gaze back to the table.
"So I guess you guys are wondering about the move. I know it was sudden; things just... kind of got out of control." Hands beneath the table wiped at her pants, before meeting over her plate. Fingers nervously began to tear her cornbread apart. "I don't think the floor stuff helped, but it definitely wasn't just that."
Rafael's frown bore the mark of one who understood all too well. He shook his head, steeling himself with a sip of wine. "You really don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," he said. "But you know we'll listen. All the changes lately… they've put a lot of stress on everyone. We all reacted differently, I think." A faint blush crept over his cheeks. Abel had certainly handled the changes well; he had seemed perfectly at home, a predator with a private hunting ground. After one last bite Rafael placed the last gnawed rib bone back on his plate, pushing it aside.
"Are you okay, though? Do you need anything?"
Alice glanced at Rafael and looked at his wrists, wondering briefly about all of that. The past few weeks had seemed to bring about pain to both of her friends and she felt a twist of guilt in her belly for going along completely content that her bakery hadn’t noticed her disappearance, that she got to hang out with Lucas and Gus.
“I agree with Rafael,” Alice rejoined the conversation, turning her gaze to Isobel. “And you feel safe here? You’re okay? Because you could always just crash at my place too. I know, beside all the floor change stuff, there’s been some unnerving things going on…” She looked at Isobel steadily, hoping Isobel understood she was trying to gently mention Bryan without actually mentioning him.
"No, no, really, I'm fine," Isobel offered, reaching out to put a hand over Alice's. "And I'm going to deal with that. With him. I've been in touch with the police, and they're seriously going to do something about it." She swallowed, squeezing Alice's hand before withdrawing her own.
"I swear he won't come near either of you again. I'm so sorry that he did that to you, and I'm going to make sure that his ass stays in jail this time." Isobel shook her head. "He's done, he's so done after..."
She stopped herself, picking up a fork to leaf through what little remained of her salad. "This is all for the best, me being down here. I wasn't helping Obed, and he wasn't helping me, so we're better like this." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself as much as them, but she stuck to her word. "I need to be more honest with the people around me. If I'd told you sooner about Bryan, he wouldn't have contacted you, you wouldn't be a part of this."
Rafe shook his head. His answer was firm. "No, this isn't your fault. Please don't think that, okay? You didn't owe us an explanation. You don't now, either. And now we know him, and we'll respond the way we should." He glanced to Alice, certain she would agree with him. "We're here for you, okay? All of us. You can always come over if you need anything. Mr. Fishy and I are happy to have you as our neighbor. And whatever you need, any time, day or night, you just ask."
“Yeah, same,” Alice said, nodding in agreement as she lifted a paper towel and began to clean off her fingers. “Please don’t be upset about us knowing about Bryan and everything. Like Rafael said, now we know him. If we see him, we can brush him off, call the cops, any of that. It’s safety in numbers. And we’re here, we’re here to talk about stuff or to just give you comforting hugs. We’re here if you need help with stuff minor or big--” Alice’s cheerful comforts came to a stop as she suddenly sneezed; artfully turning her face away from the table and into her shoulder so as not to spread any germs. “Excuse me,” she offered, her cheeks pink. “I think I have allergies or something. Right after the floor change and we were able to go outside again I started feeling a little out of it. Silly spring with all its pollen.”
"Do you want some tissues?" Isobel was near half rising from her seat, then finally completed the motion, disappearing momentarily into the kitchen to return with a small blue box. She put it next to Alice. "It's so strange how all the plants outside have died. You'd think that would've helped with your allergies?" She shook her head, reaching one hand down to scritch Hanni as he still sat on the floor, contentedly gnawing the bone that was nearly half the size of him.
"But thank you, both, for listening. It helps to talk about things. And I think now they can only get better."
Rafael had his doubts about that, but he did not voice them. Instead he smiled and raised his dwindling wine glass in toast. "I'll drink to that," he said, his tone lighter than he felt. He downed the rest of his glass in a single go, but refrained from pouring another. He took another bone from his plate -- still meaty enough, and covered in sauce, besides -- and moved to set it atop the shredded paper towel that served as Hanni's plate.
“Most definitely!” Alice agreed, lifting her own glass all the while her other hand reached for the box of tissues. She took a sip and placed her glass down before getting to her feet. “Let’s celebrate the positive outlook of the future with cake.”
Isobel, smiling, raised her own glass in a mock toast, momentarily feeling the words she'd spoken only minutes earlier. Surely, if they all believed it could be true, it would be.