Re: Louis' apartment: Iris, Sam, Cris
[The soft words and laughter filtered downstairs from the second floor, and Iris did her best to not listen, to not overhear anything that was being said. By the time Sam came back downstairs, Iris had found the bowls and silverware and had served up some of the lo mein for TJ, letting him continue to sit cross-legged on the counter because there were very few other places for him to sit. He looked happy enough to be there as Iris put the rest of the things away, having recovered from his strange first-time journey through the hotel. They were talking softly until Sam came around the corner, when he stopped in the middle of his thought and smiled at her (part enthusiastic, part shy), and said "hi!".
He laughed about the chicken as Iris smiled softly but kept quiet and as out of the way as she could in the small space. She refused to go far, but she thought that maybe letting her son be the center of attention would be the best for everyone. An opinion that only reasserted itself when Cris came down the stairs into the kitchen. She gave him a nod and a small smile even though she questioned whether his words were meant for her at all. But a sharp, young voice cut through with its own "Thank you!!", and when Iris looked over, TJ was grinning, with the end of one lo mein noodle hanging out between his lips. She shook her head with an indulgent smile for him.] Hey. Do we eat like that at home? [She shook her head in answer even as she asked her question, and the noodle disappeared into the boy's mouth with a little slurp. She handed over a napkin she'd found, and he wiped off his mouth, giving everyone a noodle-free grin once he was done.]