Invitations and Offers

Richard opened his eyes.

“Ready, Sir?”

Luna’s new minibar sat next to his desk. Luna herself was seated there at the desk, and elbow on the wood. Hazel was on the other side of the room, leaning against the doorframe with her dress from last night draped over her arm. As he sat up, it appeared that they’d both been waiting for him. “What am I supposed to be ready for?”

Luna answered. “Since it’s Ava’s turn with you today, I wanted to offer something to help. Both because she might be nervous, and because her transformations seem to be pretty explosive. I want to make sure they’re no hurt feelings or broken bones.”

Broken bones?

He didn’t get a chance to dwell on that, as Hazel spoke immediately after. “Before I left to see Ms.Turner, I thought it may be appropriate to check whether you needed someone to keep an eye on things. If you think you might need a panic button, I can assist you.”

If broken bones are on the table, maybe I would need her. “Could you tell me about what you have in mind?” He asked Luna.

She nodded, stepping up from her spot at the desk. She handed him a list of note cards with names of cocktails and summarized ingredient lists.

“How long have you two been working on this?” He’d slept in, but it was still barely seven.

“Hazel woke me at five to ask if I had a plan. We’ve both been up since then.”

“That sounds awful. I’m sorry.”

“Meh. it’s not great, but also you weren’t the one that did it.” She glanced over at Hazel, who gave no acknowledgement. “Anyway, you’ve got two groups there. The top group will make Window Pain Check stronger in some way, the other group will make it weaker in some way. I don’t know how though, the most that Barmaid will tell me is what will interact with your TF the most.”

He started with the list of enhancers:

• Thistle and Steel (scotch, gin, ginjinha, amaro, chocolate and lime bitters)
• Penicillin (whisky, lemon juice, honey, ginger)
• Black And Tan (beer)

Then the dampeners:

• Brave Bull (tequila, coffee liqueur)
• Dark and Stormy (rum, lime juice, ginger beer)
• Suffering Bastard (brandy, gin, lime juice, angostura bitters)

“I don’t know what the Suffering Bastard would do, but I don’t want to risk that.” He said, immediately ruling out that one. “I feel like we breezed past the broken bones a bit too quickly. What exactly do I need to be worried about?”

Luna frowned, trying to decide how to explain. “Ava’s told me about two previous Rages that were strong enough to bend or put holes in steel. I know you’ve been working out more lately, but…” She left the possible consequences unsaid.

He could fill in the blanks. If the date went badly, then she’d be anxious and upset. If it went well, then she might snap him like a twig. “I don’t do cocktails very often. Do either of you have any advice on what’s good? This Thistle and Steel one here seems like there’s a lot going on.”

“It’s definitely an acquired taste. I’ve only had it once, and I wouldn’t recommend it on taste alone.” Luna admitted. “The Penicillin is a bit easier to stomach, and the Black and Tan’s pretty simple and close to your existing tastes. Just ignore the political connotations of the name.”

“Back when I drank, I was fond of the Brave Bull, and a Dark and Stormy is good to finish a night out. It’s similar to a mule.” Hazel offered.

“You don’t drink anymore?” Luna asked.

“Not since I started working for the Turners.” Hazel replied.

“Hazel, that was over a decade ago.” He pointed out.

“I enjoy it, but I wanted to make sure I was always alert enough to keep you two safe.”

“Still. There’s a lot less you need to protect us from while you’re here. This might be a good time to relax if you’d like.”

“I can ask Ms.Turner’s approval next time I see her, if you’d like Sir.” The bodyguard responded diplomatically. Neither Richard or Luna could tell how much she cared for the idea.

“You don't​​ need our permission.”

“Even within our changing roles, your stepsister has never seen me drink. I want to discuss that with her as my girlfriend.”

“If you want-”

“Richard.” Hazel cut him off. “I’ve expressed what I want, please respect that.”

“Sure. Sorry.” Hopefully she’s not too upset with me. “You can go see if she’s awake if you’d like. I’d like some time to decide if I use one of these cocktails and which one if I do use it.”

“As you wish.”

Then it was just him and Luna. He looked down at the little cards with ingredients and names. “So you’ve no idea what these would do? No hunches?”

“All I get is what can interact with a TF. A mimosa was one of the things it offered me for Touch Base, but I didn’t know what it would do until Hazel explained.

"If I was to offer any guesses, then the Penicillin might be protective? Brave Bull might make you better at taking the lead? No way to know until they happen though.” She sat down at the other end of the bed, moving from where she’d been at his desk.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to make a decision.” He set the notecards down on the nightstand.

“You’ll have plenty of time to decide. Ava won’t be up for a few hours, and I think she’s helping Stella with something before lunch.” There was a pause as his best friend slid up the bed. “You’re still feeling the effects of the tart, right? I know I am.”

The tenor in the room shifted.

“Even on a normal day, I’ve been feeling your morning wood. I’ve felt your dreams.” She continued. “This morning, though? Feeling every twitch, every time the blankets brushed against your legs? I could barely stop myself from taking care of myself while Hazel watched.” She took his hand and gently pulled it under her dress. “We can have a bit more time together, if you’d like. As long as we’re done before that tart expires, you’ll still have something in you for Ava…”

***

In the Dining Hall, Stella and Maeve were having a confusingly quiet morning. Stella had made them both omelets as Genet’s menu dictated. Normally Stella would’ve had Richard, Luna, often a couple others there not long after dawn to cook for. But everyone seemed to be sleeping in today. So it was just her and Maeve sitting across from each other.

“You said her name was Concordia?”

The chef nodded. “She was very gentle. She spent pretty much the entire afternoon trying to help me with my confidence. After she appeared the whole temple felt warm, like a kitchen where you’ve been baking all afternoon.”

“You said you could spend the entire afternoon there?” Maeve asked. “From what some of the others mentioned to me, their mentors seemed to be operating on specific time limits.” She was curious about the rules of the space.

“Concordia assured me that as long as I didn’t try to leave and she didn’t need to do anything strongly magical, we could stay together until curfew. I would’ve done that, if I hadn’t had dinner to make last night for everyone.”

As Maeve was about to comment again, they heard Genet’s heavy footsteps coming down from her apartment. In a new outfit that looked like officewear designed to test the boundaries of any company’s dress code, she directed her attention to Maeve.

“Do you remember when you asked if it’d be possible for you to see your friend Marissa in person?”

The silver haired woman nodded. Stella listened, not quite knowing what was going on but not wanting to interrupt.

“I was finally able to line us up well enough to connect for a few hours. Around lunchtime, could you come by? It should be ready by then.”

“Of course. I appreciate your efforts.”

Genet beamed at her before going back upstairs to finalize things.

“Who’s Marissa?” Stella asked hesitantly.

“One of my closest friends. Another therapist, we met at a conference that she presented at. We sometimes go to each other for advice. I found out during the mail readings a few days ago that she’d been caught in one of her own patient’s harem. I asked Genet if it was possible for us to meet. It looks like it’ll be sooner than I expected.”

“That’s great.” Stella paused. “It does remind me of something else from yesterday though.”

“Yes?”

“Concordia asked that if I have the chance, I take you to the temple as soon as possible.”

Maeve frowned. “Did she tell you why?”

“I didn’t ask for specifics, but apparently the woman waiting to be your mentor was disappointed that she hadn’t met you yet. I’m supposed to tell you that a few of the mentors tried to claim you, and that the one that won is a lot like my Concordia? The only other thing I was told about your mentor was that she wanted to help you be brave. I’m sorry if that’s rude or overstepping, I didn’t ask any more than they wanted to tell me.”

Maeve considered her answer. I don’t know if I want someone to help me “be brave”. Given how Ata’s old mentor was able to control her, do I even want to try it? “It’s not rude of you. I appreciate the message. Marissa’s visit is going to be my priority today, I don’t know when in the future I’ll have time. But I will consider it.”

Stella nodded, glad that she hadn’t upset the older woman’s feelings.

“To change the subject a little, would you be comfortable telling me what Helena shared with you?”

Stella nodded, her hair slowly being peppered with pink as she tried to decide where to start.

***

XarHD from The HH and I have a 3 part crossover we've been planning, all 3 parts are now ready and will be split across our two branches. Any context needed for his branch has already been given in previous Domestic Affairs chapters. It starts in his branch, and so both my part 2 and his part 1 in his branch will be linked below later today. Clicking on Part 1 will take you all the way through, and next week's chapter will be attached to both this chapter you're reading now and his Part 3. I hope you enjoy what we've been working on, it's over three times as long as normal!