Outside Chilly Boulder, Saturday Noon

[whenshewasnice]

Portalocity hadn't tried to screw Envy over, this time. New York in general had released her from its clutches pretty easily, considering she was meant to still be in fittings right now. She rarely put things ahead of work, but this was one of those rare things.

And so she was standing by Chilly Boulder, waiting for Peter. It seemed rude, somehow, to go in without him.

Or maybe she was just weirdly nervous.

[ooc: Envy is here with the guy and the girl, but the post is open for your ice cream needs! ]

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[lockestheway]

"If you were anyone else, I'd say you looked nervous," Peter observed, strolling in with quick, certain steps.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy wasn't going to dignify that with a response. Mostly because that might've involved acknowledging she was nervous.

Instead, she leaned in and kissed his cheek. And said, "I love you, too," because you couldn't steal the last word from her, not even by hanging up.

Although that was far from the only reason she said it.

[lockestheway]

"I had that one for at least two hours," Peter sighed. (Yes, he was refering to the last word.) "Are you ready to do this?"

[whenshewasnice]

"Of course."

Kind of. She wasn't getting any more ready, anyway.

Her hand found his. She'd pretend it was just for the sake of tugging him towards the entrance. "Come on."

[lockestheway]

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Peter said jovially, walking after her. "I think I see her over there, in that booth on the left..."

[potentia_gloria]

And there she was, with some ridiculous, already half-gone sundae in front of her.

Lilith looked up as they made it there. Quirked a quietly pleased smile at them, too, while taking note of the way each of them looked. Making a guessing game as to which point in the timeline this was.

(There were several giveaways. Like the bleach in her mother's hair, and their joined hands.)

"Hello, parents."

[lockestheway]

"Hello, child," Peter said amiably. "We've come to pretend you need oversight."

[potentia_gloria]

"I did not fall in the ocean," Lilith replied brightly. Privately amused. Then she made a very precise gesture at her ice cream with her spoon. "Or get brain freeze."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy had clearly had a long week, because she was finding herself just watching Lilith. She looked exactly the same. They'd changed so much and she looked exactly the same.

But Lilith broke her out of her reverie, turning her gaze on her mother. "Bonjour, maman.."

Envy's voice was a little softer than necessary. Squeezing Peter's hand a little probably wasn't entirely necessary, either. "Hi, Lilith."

[lockestheway]

"Was there a chance you'd fall into the ocean?" Peter said. "Because if I've done up a sudden fondness for mediterranean vacations, I'd like to know about it."

... It wasn't that he wasn't reading the room. He was just trying to keep the edge off.

[potentia_gloria]

No, Envy was grateful. She didn't want to be the one to make this weird, and she didn't want him to give her room to.

Lilith seemed briefly quizzical in her own understated way, but clearly there were more important things to focus on. "Oh, we spend half the year off the coast of Greece, these days," she said. And you could tell it wasn't true by the fact that she said it at all. There seemed to be less to spoil, this time around, but she still wasn't going to be doling out too many specifics.

[lockestheway]

"Getting endlessly harrassed by Bean's parents, no doubt," Peter sighed loudly.

[whenshewasnice]

"You have staff for counter that," Lilith quipped, "The Delphiki Minders. Mostly interns."

Envy managed a snort. She gave Peter a little nudge. "Sit down. I'll go order."

[lockestheway]

Peter let out a soft laugh. "Yes, ma'am," he said, tossing off a sarcastic salute.

But he did sink into a seat.

[whenshewasnice]

And that meant Envy let his hand go. Though she still idly ran a few fingertips through his hair after he'd sat down and before she turned and headed for the counter.

It was more for her own benefit than his.

[potentia_gloria]

Lilith watched her leave in silence, then turned her amused gaze back on her father.

"Been a while since I was here last, eh?"

[lockestheway]

"A few years," Peter agreed. "A lot has happened, to put it mildly."

[potentia_gloria]

"Mom's discovered hydrogen peroxide," Lilith noted. "Gamechanger of the century, I'm sure."

No, she knew everything that went with it. Of course.

[lockestheway]

"And you haven't even smelled the fumes," Peter joked. "You stil look roughly the same age as the last time we saw you."

[potentia_gloria]

"Yes, it hasn't been that long for me." Which kind of made this all the more fascinating for her. "I think it might have to do with the rules of the event."

Sorry, the Adams staple of meta-talk was in effect.

"Or maybe the multiverse just knows I like watching you two grow into yourselves."

[lockestheway]

"Is that what we've been doing?" Peter said, faintly amused. "Growing into ourselves? I didn't realize I was somebody else, once."

[potentia_gloria]

"It's all a matter of perspective," she said, with a faint shrug. "For you, it's one continuous process. But for me, I've only known you from a certain point onward. And those people are my parents."

Everything before then was someone else.

[lockestheway]

Peter's mouth curved.

He sat back.

"Your mom and I talked about you recently," he said. "If she's skittish, it's probably got something to do with that."

[potentia_gloria]

"If?" Lilith repeated, amused.

Because this was about as skittish as she'd ever seen her mother be.

[lockestheway]

"So I'm guilty of trying to play off your mom's skittishness as normal," Peter said, holding his hands up. "Sue me for not throwing my girlfriend under the bus."