PORPHYROS

                                "well, if the tuitions aren't working out, i am sure cordelia is making some money with the snacks, then. we all need a second football field or another pool." and the worst of it, is that helena did mean what she said — her rented out place in la must have what, three pools? a girl needs to flaunt it if she got it. "you should have gotten the ice cream sandwiches, ema! now i'm craving." the eldest's lips purse into a pout but she settles by the popcorn, now a shared snack, apparently. "that's the thing about children. they will always be our babies. it's just a good thing there's no more babysitting fees, right?" she nudges her friend's shoulders with her own, opening a grin.

                                "really? my experience seemed to be the opposite." of course, the memories are hazy now. the birmingham is hardly ever fully packed, which is the opposite of estabilishments such as this, but, then, all she can recall is nights closing up at three in the morning and the headache next day as she woke up at six to run after auditions. "heavens, it's been a while!" helena exclaims, more to herself this time. she does giggle at the girl's quip about golf — truly, it is ghastly boring — but shakes her head at iris' concern. "not at all! i do love to see how excited people can get. i just worry for your sake. is the crowd always this rowdy?" she leans in as if she can get a conspicuous answer, though soon the girl is approaching her anyways, taking a bite of her own food. "naughty! well, now you're tempting me." helena imitates the younger, covering her mouth as she chews and swallows. "i can see what the fuss is about, iris. you are just passing on addictions by now!"

vivienne has absolutely no idea on why she'd agreed to come, but she can't stay cooped up in her house for much longer, fielding constant calls from her team who seemed incapable of making even the smallest decision without her which was enough to drive her mad. channeling her inner regina george, she was dressed in a sleek black off-shoulder top paired with jeans that were entirely beneath her usual standard. " i think it's a shame that we're having a reading instead of watching the movies, but you didn't hear that from me-- " she piped in with a slight shrug of her shoulders as her gaze slid along helena's. but at the mention of the bubblegum lemonades, it took every ounce of her practiced composure to suppress the distaste in her expression. " i'll take your word for it. i'd rather not have an upset stomach. " / @porphyros

                                "oh, my lips are sealed, dearest." she even makes the motion of such, though it's pointless because helena's lips are soon bared in a grin at the confidence between her and an old friend. "i do believe they will run the movies after this. see, i would rather if it was the play. it's a wonderful musical — the new movie doesn't do it justice." tsking, the eldest shifts in her seat, not noticing the tone or the repressed grimace by the other. "do you still get those? after swearing off diets, i swear my stomach has been improved a thousand folds, i can even eat things i definitely shouldn't now. like the kalteen bars they have in display." a glance towards the table of snacks, unfortunately so far away.

                                helena does abhor awkward situations, but at some point, it's pointless to flee from them — such was the case between herself and mr. mayor himself, one of cordelia's dearest friends. once upon a time, they had shared friends besides a house and a bed, and once that was gone, it seemed so had the acquaintanceships. helena is delusional enough to believe that she has done no wrong enough to be cancelled (or however it is that kids say nowadays), but the frosty atmosphere from this row doesn't seem to be entirely due to the blasting air conditioner. "no drinking while on the job? they are non-alcoholic, jules." she points out, attempting her usual demeanor and refusing to give in to whatever oddness there was lingering. "i am hardly clumsy, much less unnecessarily so. they should know me by now! i am here for ema's little club every week on the dot." she didn't do her readings everytime, but helena would never skip on a social encounter.

as much as clarke loved teaching (and trust, he did), being around teenagers all day wore him out and he craved the company of peers, even if he wasn’t the best conversationalist. book club was an event he looked forward to each week, though he’d hate for his students to learn that book club was the most exciting thing mr. whitlock got up to in his free time. as helena approached him, clarke couldn’t help but grin. he felt at ease in his friend’s presence, and the proof was in the pudding — the stumbling over his words was far less frequent around her and his smiles were easier, less insecure. a laugh fell from his lips and he nudged her gently, “anything for you. just…just promise me you’ll finish it? i swear you’ll love the ending.” as helena’s hand met his arm, he leaned into the touch, his smile ever-growing as he listened to helena talk. “oh, it was quite the look,” he nodded, “i think my favorite dress might’ve been…oh, what’s her name?” tapping his chin in thought, clarke simply couldn’t remember, “my students were talking about her today. she had, uhm, that pink lever couture gown on. o-oh, lisa. that’s her name.” he smiled proudly, as if remembering the name of a celebrity were a feat worth celebrating.

ema had attended the public school after moving to maple brook and she had only spent two of the four years in school there. while she had been friends with some football players and cheerleaders through her ex, she had never really gotten into football herself. "ha, well, you're welcome. good thing i came along then." they tease, settling down into their seat. "oh, he's with his dad tonight. not sure what they're doing, to be honest."

her lips curved instantly into a smile as she called out to her with genuine excitement, " evie! " her voice was probably louder than she intended, causing a warm flush on her cheeks as she stepped away from the pastry table to make her way towards the femme. " i didn't know you'd be here as well, " she added in a hushed tone this time without the smile leaving her lips.

the smile doesn't come automatically to her face as she turns around to see her cousin — all golden and rose, perfect even in seemingly embarrassment. "we did go here together some near twenty years ago." being unable to escape rebekah had been a pain in the ass until she realized she could find a way to make their convivence work in her own favor. it hasn't changed much these days. her eyes flicker to the coffee in her cousin's hand, which makes evelyn deposit the pastry she was going to have on rebekah's cup. the smile comes then, perfectly measured to appear as if she cared and not loathed the woman ahead of her. "you need to eat if you're going to fit on the dress." there's a pause as she gives rebekah a look over. "i assume violet has shown you the design? i believe the first fitting will be tuesday."

"it's early for bed, vi." seeing her talk like this, you'd like evelyn was some sort of night owl, but she only pulled all-nighters in very important nights — otherwise, she was finnicky about her sleep pattern as she knew she couldn't afford to look less than perfect, or to be doozing off on the next day. of course, considering tomorrow was a saturday and she has been mostly working online for the past couple of months, she doesn't have to be such a stickler. "sheet masks, for sure. do you still have my night bag on your bathroom? i need to do the other steps before." because not going to sleep early doesn't mean she isn't going to be strict about her facial care, of course. "if talking will get you to not snooze, do it away. you know i like to hear about you crazy costumers." in fact, she doesn't — the urge to tell her best friend to just quit and live off of evelyn's trust fund as if she was a sugar baby was constant, but over the decades she's learned she enjoys listening to violet's voice, especially before bed. removing her heels, and pinning up her hair, she follows violet into the room. "did she bag the bellboy, at least? i guess that means you may need some uglier staff."

"some of his wine - it is vintage though so would be a shame to waste it." it was a little irresponsible of rosalie to want to jump straight in, especially when she was still supervising clara but at least she wasn't alone. granted, she was never alone with the girl joined to her hip, literally and figuratively, but it was now a different sense of loneliness that evelyn eased so well (though she'd vowed herself never to get mopey in her presence and tell her). her feelings really didn't need to be aired so ros would revert back to repressing them down and refuse to acknowledge them. "oh-" her face softened as pure gratitude was shown in her eyes. "that's so kind of you, thank you." when had she last eaten a proper meal? rosalie couldn't recount that but it must have been at the garrison away from her home. "oh, god no!" with the widening of her eyes, her head quickly shook. "it will be her-" bedtime - she mouthed to avoid clara hearing. "-soon and i would quite like to sleep tonight." bringing her glass with her, rosalie travelled to the sofa. "please, sit. tell me about your evening or just anything you've been getting up to and i will live vicariously through you, please."

"oh, it's been a lot. you know, today is brazilian day — which is basically their independence day, some kind of 4th of july, and my mother in law decided to come to town and have a whole party about it. so after a few days of handling my own family on labor day, i need to handle his — his little sister is still living with us, by the way — so it's like, that is not why i've decided to marry you, someone who is from out of town. keep your baggage out of my life, you know?" she finally breathes out, and immediately reaches for the glass of wine poured to take a sip and help her calm down. "you're lucky to be rid of your useless husband and his family."

                              "you know i'm the last person to complain about someone's increasing phone time." she even raises a hand as if in defeat, assuring the brunette that this wasn't the case — considering evelyn spent more time switching between messages and emails and her list app on her own phone, she would never point a finger to someone else if they did so (at least, not to taylor, anyways). "simple is subjective, i've been told. no one can have the brains of a stahl." the blonde offers her friend a smirk along with the compliment. it falls at the mention of the preparations, and evelyn lets out a sigh, shifting to put her legs beneath her body. "trouble is also subjective. there's endless things everyday, and i will accept nothing less than perfection, you know this. dealing with people is more troublesome than dealing with deadlines — my mother and my mother in law have decided to be very hands-on and their opinions do not always match. or mine and theirs." she rolls her eyes dramatically, even tossing her head back with a grunt. "i feel closer to homicide everyday now, more than when i go to the house of representatives' halls."

                              she glances over at the dog, recognizing a familiar face around the vet. "he ain't a disappointment." she says, snapping her fingers to call over the dog — for all of her complaints about not wishing to be determined only by her profession (which was more of a necessity than a true calling, at least for her), she did enjoy seeing her patients happy and healthy. "gettin' jd to see and answer a text?" she snorts. "good luck." the topic of food is one that is better handled, though — for all the unfounded animosity, she would never deny food. "vegan cheez-its?" her face contorts into a grimace. the thought alone seemed almost like a sacrilege, but she would try anything once. "i eat everythin'. even vegan." she gives him an asserting look. “when do you got the time to bake homemade bread? you some kinda superman?”

                              olive hums, shifting in her seat so she can take a peek at the baby. she was very much a parent in favor of letting your kid run wild and get dirt on them, but she had once also been the first time mom who freaked out about every little thing, going to the ER in tears about every little bump and scratch on iris' little body. "i think i have some repelent if you wanna." she digs through her bag for one of the ointments she always carried, even without the kids around — she always thought better safe than sorry with them. her heart does a leap or two at the sight of the baby waking up, and olive can't help the way her face twists into awe and adoration. "i like him a bit too." she brings a finger into the stroller to brush at the raspy curls of the baby. "d'ya got a portion problem? not that it's a problem if i'm around." olive always ate more than what her size would suggest. the mention of her kids makes her face turn sour for a moment. "my husband's got 'em. he's always late." she almost blurts out a comment about how samira should be glad that's not an issue for her, but olive catches her tongue just in time. "y'think's bad with a baby? try three." two, plus the one in her belly, but that one slips before she can think.

                              olive says nothing, at first. from the way he walks around, it doesn't look like he's familiar with anything — probably one more city folk that has just moved over, or stops by for a visit and, definitely, not one who comes around meadowridge. she squints at the sun as he makes his decision, until, at last, he seems to want to stay. the blanket is already clutched between her hand, so she just pulls it out of the bag and extends it to him. "the people 'round here are traditional folk." she tells him. "how long you been in town for?"

                              she lets out a snort, pretending to be offended. "right. she over me." olive even adds a shake of the head, but she knows jd knows she doesn't care about this stuff. "you still doin' your sister's hair for her now and then?" she recalled jd's sister as a pre-teen, and with time flying as it does, she knows she must be what? on her thirties along with them now? didn't he mention something about a nephew or a niece once? probably. olive has always been bad with keeping up with gossip. she gives him a look, unaware for a moment of the pretend, until it dawns on her and she reaches over to give him a little shove. "don't make me give you some chicken noodle soup. it's homemade, so it's shit." she couldn't cook for shit. "well, you would'a know if you had any but when they're gone for most'a day you can even miss them a lil'." it's newer for simon, who is always near, while she has to be at the bark and nicker more often than at home. "don't ya miss your cow when she wanders over here?"