maskormenacelogs | (no subject)

WHO: Sarah, Helena, & George
WHERE: Nonah Apartment Complex
WHEN: 11/14, evening
WHAT: Awkward Dinner
WARNINGS: Language, I'll update if anything else comes up

[ Sarah sends both of them a text early in the day asking them to come over for dinner, along with her new address. It's totally cliche, throwing what basically amounts to a housewarming party. Makes her feel like Alison, a bit. Still, she's never had a place of her own before—not a place that's hers, where she's not crashing on someone's couch or living with some guy. She's not paying rent, but she is working, and she has been brought to this universe against her will, so you can't really say she hasn't paid for the place.

The two bedroom flat is spartan in its decoration; just the basics as far as furniture goes, with a couch and coffee table in the living room, a small table and chairs in the kitchen, and her bed in the bigger of the two bedrooms. She doesn't have a lot of stuff to begin with, and hasn't had a chance to go shopping for anything decorative yet, but there is a small picture hanging in the hallway between the living room and the bedrooms.

She hasn't had a chance to go grocery shopping yet, so she orders most of the menu from the closest Chinese delivery place and, when it arrives, spreads the various dishes out on the kitchen table, buffet style, along with a bottle of cheap wine she brought over from #7. She figures that will be fine. It's not like Helena's picky, and George can't be either, with the fucked up hours he works.

Everything, she convinces herself, will be fine. ]

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[Well, there goes any question about whether or not Sarah's mentioned him. Something in his heart wilts just a bit as he searches for an answer.]

I'm... We're-

[He's not about to tell foreign Ramen girl that he's sleeping with her sister, regardless of how obvious it probably is. That's just not information you give out to family members, even if they were separated at birth.]

I'm George. I used to be her neighbor.

Her neighbor. [Helena looks unimpressed.]

Do you bring flowers to all your old neighbors?

[Do you have intentions with my sister?? This is basically an interrogation now, sorry George.]

[... Okay, well. Now he just looks pathetic. With a little shrug, he pulls the flowers back out and gives them a slight shake.]

We've been... dating.

[And he sounds pathetic too. Dating. It makes it sound like they go to the movies and hold hands over popcorn. Awkward and growing slightly panicked, he turns and knocks on the door.]

Sarah?

[ Sarah opens the door a second later and can't stop her eyes from widening when she sees the two of them both standing there. Stupid, but she'd been imagining them showing up one at a time, giving her a couple minutes to prepare whoever got there first. Well, shite. So much for that. ]

Hey.

[ Not entirely sure what to do first, she glances between the two of them before she reaches out to accept Helena's nearly-full box of donuts and gives her sister a little smile. ]

Thanks. I ordered food, but aside from fortune cookies I didn't think of grabbing dessert.

[ And then she turns to George and gives him a quick kiss… on the cheek, before taking the flowers in her free hand. Nailed it! ]

Thank you. Hi. Okay. I guess you two've met, then. Um. So yeah, come in.

[Instinctively, he starts to reach for her hand - but then he gets it. He understands what this was all about, and suddenly any disappointment he had is quelled a bit. Sarah wanted them to meet, but she's uncomfortable with planning something like that in advance. Maybe she was afraid one of them would say no, or back out. Trying his best to smile at her, George fights through the awkwardness. Maybe tonight's going to go differently than he thought, but he can do this. For Sarah. It's all for Sarah.]

Yeah, we were just getting acquainted.

[Without the flowers to hold onto, he doesn't know what to do with his hands. He attempts to look back over at Helena, but instead just looks past Sarah and into the apartment.]

How'd you know Chinese takeout's my favorite?

Oh, didn't I tell you? I can read minds.

[ Sarah gives George another smile, grateful that he's trying to break the tension. She steps back inside the apartment and places the box of donuts on the counter across from the kitchen table, then goes looking in the cupboards for some kind of container for the flowers. After a few seconds, she settles on a tall-ish glass, since it's the closest thing to a vase she owns. ]

I know it's not much. But there's a second bedroom, if you ever wanna stay in town...

[ This last sentence she directs to Helena. She can't help but think of Jesse's reaction when she told him Helena wasn't living in the same building, much less the same city—like the idea that they wouldn't immediately want to be closer was strange, abnormal. ]

[Well, he wasn't making it up, at least. Sarah really did invite him. Helena just gives a little grunt at his comment about getting acquainted and follows Sarah into the apartment. Her head swivels side to side, taking in what little there is to see, though of course she very quickly becomes fixated on the food.]

Thank you, sestra. I'd love to vacation with you. [To be honest, she'd move in if Sarah asked. She flashes a smile and then quickly plucks a chow mein noodle from one of the containers. As she sort of dangles it into her mouth, she glances at George.]

You didn't tell me- [slurp] -your neighbor boyfriend would be joining us.

He's— [ She stops herself abruptly. It's no use getting into an argument about which specific word describes her relationship with George, especially when she's not sure herself. Instead of continuing, she hands Helena a fork, looking pointedly at her sister. Don't use your hands. ]

I just wanted to have you over to see the place. Both of you.

[ Which sounds… really pathetic now that she says it out loud. Shit. This whole thing was a stupid idea. She's not like Alison, that's certain, and her attempt to somehow set up some kind of normal get together only highlights that fact. God, what was she even thinking? Averting her gaze, she pours herself a glass of wine and leans back against the kitchen counter. Stupid. ]

I'm not-

[He starts to protest only a millisecond after she does, and drops off just as quickly. Sarah's disappointment is clear in her body language. Instead of arguing, he reaches over to lay a reassuring hand on her arm for a moment.]

It's great, Sarah. Thank you.

[He moves past her to look for plates and another couple of wine glasses.]

You two go ahead and sit down, I'll bring everything over.

[She accepts the fork without protest and immediately resumes snacking on noodles (this time with the proper utensil) as if nothing happened. When it comes to table manners, she can not be shamed.]

Yes, it's a nice home. ...And good noodles.

[See, she can be appreciative too! She drops into the nearest chair and waits expectantly for George to bring the plates, fork held upright in her fist.]

[ Sarah sinks into the chair opposite Helena and has to fight off the urge to fidget and rip her napkin into shreds. Instead she places one hand in her lap, clenched into a fist, and rests the other one on her wine glass. ]

It's just a takeout place. Nothing special.

[George brings everything over, setting it out between them, and takes his seat - it's no accident that he scoots his chair in Sarah's direction just a bit.]

So, um. Helena.

[Everything's cool. Everything's normal. This is just a normal dinner with normal friends.]

What do you do?