there's a part in every day

[coppelganger]

WHO: Sarah, George, & Sarissa
WHERE: Casa de Chaos
WHEN: Feb 10
WHAT: A Totally Normal dinner
WARNINGS: n/a



[ It's not that Sarah feels remotely normal after what happened a few weeks ago. How could she? But she's always been good at faking it, and Sarissa's been so quiet and serious and unlike herself, and Sarah is worried that they're all going to regress into the emotional dumpster fire they'd been in after the first time Sarissa died. And they can't. They can't do that, this time, because it'll solve nothing. It'll result in nothing. So she's faking it, acting like everything is great, everything is fine, no ill effects from being kidnapped and tortured to speak of.

Besides, George does need to meet Sarissa. Officially, or whatever. She refuses to let them do it apart from her, for fear that Sarissa will be aggressive, the way she'd been with Ruby. She knows George enough to know he'd let it scare him off. She needs to supervise this meeting, the way she'd done with Helena all those months ago, and make sure everything goes the way she needs it to. Because she can't live with someone who hates the person she's sleeping with. She can't live like that.

As it gets close to the time George said he'd be arriving, she moves into the kitchen, pacing around near the stove and twisting her fingers together. Everything is fine. ]

Comments

[magnitudes]

( So, it's not like Sarissa feels incapacitating guilt over that fact that Gabriel - Sylar, his name is Sylar - took her sisters. Imprisoned them, hurt them. Tortured them, really, in various senses. It's not like that's a thing that keeps playing over and over in her head, and sometimes she makes excuses to be elsewhere because she can't look at Sarah without remembering how cold she'd been and the blue tinge to her skin, or that she finds reasons in the room, as well, brief excuses for contact to remind her that Sarah is warm, now.

She wouldn't do any of those things, because things are fine. She doesn't try to make jokes that sometimes hit the mark and sometimes fall flat, and she doesn't put more energy than she has into seeming fine and trading banter, and she doesn't struggle to sleep at night.

Sarissa knocks on the kitchen doorframe, ) Hey. So, the booze palace is a work in progress, but there's some beers in the fridge, and I got some red wine, in case that's more his speed, and we got ice in the freezer and bourbon on the shelf, so... whatever he wants, I got. And some uh, fizzy crap, too. And fruit juice. Driving and all.

( It's all said calmer than her usual rambles, not quite flatter, but it could keel into that, if she weren't trying so hard to flash Sarah a smile. ) You want anything?

[puppydoctor]

[Before Sarah can answer, there's a polite knock on the front door.

George is precisely one minute early, standing on the front step in a barely-wrinkled shirt and khakis, with a paper lunch sack in one hand (cookies, nothing illicit). If it weren't for the deep circles under his eyes, he'd look like just the sort you'd bring home to mom.]

[coppelganger]

[ Sarah gives Sarissa a look, one that isn't aggressive and could mean one of several things—"don't scare him," "holy shit you got so much alcohol," "quit being weird." Then she walks to the front door, plasters a smile on her face, and opens it. ]

Hey, hey. [ She leans in to give George a kiss. ] You're right on time.

[magnitudes]

( Sarissa shoots Sarah a helpless look in response, as much as a helpless look can be shot. She opens her mouth and shuts it because door, etc, and instead she's just glancing down to make sure she doesn't look too scary. No colours that are too dark, her shirt has a dinosaur on it, her jeans aren't even that dark. That's helpful, right?

She stays in the kitchen, letting them greet each other and do their coupley thing before she heads out. She so thoroughly fucked shy up with Ruby and right now she's wondering if she bounces on the kitchen floor enough it might collapse and get her out of this dinner. They'd have more fun without her around to make things shit, which she suspects is her primary function. )

[puppydoctor]

[George pulls back from the kiss with a smile - they haven't gotten to spend any time together, and he'd very much like to just stand here and grin like a loon. But then there's Sarah's near-double, coming out of the kitchen, and he pulls back to give her a small wave.]

Hey. Uh, cool dinosaur.

[coppelganger]

[ Sarah gives George what she hopes is an encouraging smile. It really might just look nervous. But she does her best to sound casual when she steps back from the doorway and motions for him to follow her in. ]

I can't remember if you two met before. [ Before George disappeared, she means. ] Um, either way. George, this is Sarissa.

[magnitudes]

Gotta love a herbivorous ceratopsid.

( Her gaze was still trained on the kitchen doorframe that she's picking at, smoothing over a flaking away piece of paint. She'd have to get to that, but structure before surface appearances, right?

Structure wasn't really her talent, but. Never had been. Appearances she can do, and so she musters up an easy smile and sways into her an upright posture from her slouch. ) Not that I can recall. Good to meet you.

( And she holds out her hand to shake, while her other points to the bridge. ) Little known fact is that I'm from England too, but I got deported for stealing a loaf of bread. ( A little roll of her eyes: go figure, right? )

[puppydoctor]

Isn't there a musical about you?

[But then he grins, stepping forward to offer out a hand.]

I'm just from Seattle. Rain and coffee, all that.

[coppelganger]

She's full of shit. Don't believe anything she says.

[ This is called over her shoulder as Sarah heads back toward the kitchen to grab drinks. So far, so good. ]

[magnitudes]

( Sarah's response comes just as Sarissa had opened her mouth to make her own, and she throws Sarah something of a look. Her eloquent and witty response; ) Fuck off.

( In a loving sort of way. )

Yeah, Seattle. Like the depressing version of Vancouver, right?

( She has never been to either of these places, probably. )

[puppydoctor]

I don't know, I didn't mind it. Never lived anywhere else, until... well, here.

[Hands in his pockets, he seems torn between following after Sarah, or staying put with Sarissa.]

[magnitudes]

I'm from out country way. Little town no one's heard of. But, uh—

( She grins a bit. ) Few hours north of Melbourne. You know where that is?

( It's not entirely condescending, her smile is bright and bemused. ) Sorry, it's just most Americans I meet don't got a grasp of geography outside their slice of the world.

aw look they match in their icons

[puppydoctor]

[He looks a little sheepish, but he does appreciate her lack of judgment.]

No, you're right. I mean, I know what country it's in, but other than that...

[magnitudes]

37.8136° South, 144.9631° East. Victoria. That one's right down the bottom of the West coast's beer gut. Then there's a bit of ocean, and then there's Tasmania, but that's where we send all our mutants.

( She stops, rolls her shoulders, and scratches her jaw idly. ) I guess that's what happened to Texas, hey?

[puppydoctor]

[George has to laugh at that. So far Sarissa's giving a fine impression.]

More like the majority of America. Maybe Tasmania sent theirs here.

i was too pleased with the gag tag and forgot to do the serious tag

[magnitudes]

I mean, let's be honest: all of America. How else would you come up with deep fried twinkies and putting pickles in hotdogs? Ugh. That's the fruit of a fuckin' disturbed mind.

( Anyway. She's fairly sure Sarah's hiding in the kitchen and possibly preparing a water pistol with vinegar or something in case Sarissa's acts up. )

Saroula, you need a hand with those beers?

[coppelganger]

[ Sarah: has been hiding in the kitchen. When Sarissa calls out to her, sounding the tiniest bit suspicious, Sarah rolls her eyes and calls, ] Nope, got 'em.

[ She pushes her way back into the living room, beers in hand, and tosses one in Sarissa's direction, trusting that she'll catch it. George's she holds out to him, offering an encouraging smile as she does. ]

[puppydoctor]

[George takes it, trying not to be embarrassed of Sarah's pointed special treatment. He knows he couldn't have even begun to catch the bottle.]

How're you guys liking the woods?

[magnitudes]

( She catches her beer because she's skilled, but not without an air of attitude because fucking gross, guys. Sarissa rolls her eyes, but it's a good natured sort of eyeroll, if such a creature exists. )

Yeah, it's great. Fresh air through our broken windows. Raccoons that try to break in. We don't have any holes in the roof big enough to see the stars through, but I'm gonna be fixing the tiles and stuff in a few days so that could change if I fall through like a real expert. If we're really lucky something weird'll happen and the trees will come alive and have us surrounded, which I'm lookin' forward to.

[coppelganger]

She means it's been good.

[ She gives Sarissa a look and rolls her eyes, less good natured. ] We're working on the place. Just slowly.

[puppydoctor]

Hey, I think it's great. Better than anything I could do.

[A little sheepish and self-deprecating, but mostly honest.]

I don't even know how to use a hammer.

[magnitudes]

( He's joking, obviously (oh God she hopes he's joking) but Sarissa squints a little bit, brow furrowed. )

Well, mate, ( She starts, overly precise and as if he really doesn't know how a hammer works, ) traditionally you hit things with 'em. In Australia we like to check they haven't gotten too soft by giving ourselves a coupla whacks, first.

( SHE'S.... TRYING TO BE FUNNY... it does sound a little like she might've just suggested George hit himself in the head with the hammer, though. )