The Perk | Sunday Morning

[begmetwice]

With snow in the forecast for the afternoon, it seemed like a good idea to do any and all people-watching-slash-socializing in the morning -- which was why Sunday morning found Irene tucked in a seat in the window of the Perk, nursing a London Fog and idly scrolling through her gossip feeds on her phone. (The Royals continued to be just so messy in this reality, in new and -- frankly, totally unanticipated! -- ways. Something new there every day!)

She'd acquiesced to the weather a bit, having left her hair down and reached for a cozy cashmere sweater and skinny jeans, but her biggest concession was her boots. Red-soled stilettos were something of a trademark (and with good, stylish reason), but she didn't need to go breaking her neck. Or, worse yet, ruining a pair of treasured heels with salt.

[totally open for all your Perkish needs!]

Comments

[alwaysonguard]

The weather had started getting bad enough that it was a challenge to get farther than a block or two with a pup who wanted nothing to do with the snow and in tow. So after getting the pup situated back at the apartment Dwight went back out to try and get a bit of his morning walk in at least.

Soon he found himself deliberately altering his original path to go by The Perk. A mid-walk warm-up and pick-me-up was definitely in order.

"Hey, Irene. Good to see you," Dwight said with a smile as he turned after thanking the barista for the extra-large caffeine monstrosity. 'How have you been?"

[begmetwice]

"Morning, Dwight," Irene replied, raising her mug in a little salute. "I've been well. Still sort of finding my way out of the post-holiday fog a bit. Yourself?"

[alwaysonguard]

"Bit of the same" Dwight said with a slight nod. "Trying to find a new groove and all that fun stuff that comes with the new year. And getting used to teaching... that's been an exciting adventure already" he added with a chuckle.

[begmetwice]

"Oh, I loved it, when I used to," Irene shared, smiling over her cup at him. "What sort of knowledge are you imparting to the little hellions?"

Irene had made a point to treat her students like the adults they were becoming, sure -- such was the nature of the classes she'd taught -- but that didn't mean she didn't affectionately consider them all children, anyway.

[alwaysonguard]

"Oh every child's favorite class" Dwight said with a laugh. "Gladio and I are teaching a PE Health class. Small class so the kiddos are getting a little more one on one attention than I'm sure they would like. Got a range too from a former high school football player to someone who can barely run without tripping over their feet.

Troy was definitely the best prepared for the class and yet had been the least involved so far, and poor Guillermo was at least putting in the effort.... but it was going to be quite the term that much was already obvious!

[begmetwice]

"The student body certainly trends diverse," Irene agreed. "When I taught, I had students ranging from very average teenagers, to one who had wings, to another from around the time of the War for American Independence. It can make it quite a challenge to come up with a curriculum that addresses...everyone."

She paused to take a sip of her drink, and added, "But you couldn't pay me to take or teach a PE class, so more power to you and Gladio." And really, those were exactly the two men she'd seek out if she needed some sort of onerous task done (or for someone to carry her person around in a palanquin) so that seemed fitting enough.

[alwaysonguard]

"Yeah it's an interesting mix. One student evidently has the power to teleport, and another is from the 1950s I think they said." Dwight shook his head. "Not sure any class on lesson plans and teaching could prepare someone for Fandom classes. Guess it's a trial by fire for us all."

He then nodded towards the table. "May I?" he didn't want to intrude but standing towering over someone as they talked felt even more rude.

[begmetwice]

"Oh, please," Irene confirmed, gesturing at the chair. "I taught sex ed -- contain your shock -- and I had quite the time negotiating everyone's expectations of that class. Modern teenagers are handful enough, let alone adding in teleportation or antiquated fussiness and the like. Even the fashion class I taught was a bit interesting since there's no universal constant across -- well, universes, I suppose."

[alwaysonguard]

"Yeah, glad that was you and not me," Dwight said with a head shake as he took a seat. "It's hard enough negotiating PE activities with all these differences. I think I'd die trying to teach a sex class or anything like that."

Never mind the fact that that was a topic he had little interest or comfort with in the fist place.

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

This was definitely a good time of year to have a talent for cryomancy. It was not a good time of year to be a girl from LA stuck this far north, but whatever, she was used to New York now. All Margo needed was a nice big warm cup of coffee and she’d be ready to go.

Either way, her concessions to the weather were minimal.

“Shit, Irene,” she called, smirking. “Almost didn’t recognize you. Don’t you feel naked with those things on?”

[begmetwice]

"No, I'm much more comfortable naked," Irene assured her without missing a beat, glancing up from her phone with a grin. "They're still Moncler. I haven't gone totally feral in the face of snow."

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

“Too bad,” Margo said. Her smirk definitely got a little filthier as she strutted towards the counter. “Feral Irene sounds like fun.”

[begmetwice]

"It's only January. Give it time; she may yet make an appearance," Irene replied, quirking a brow up. (Though 'feral' Irene was still likely to, say, brush her hair and match her belt to her perhaps-more-practical shoes.) "'Tis the season to reach for après-ski and decide it's fine to be better dressed than just most of the town, today."

And that was punctuated by a little raise of her mug, because present company was clearly excluded there, and Irene could admit it. Especially since she got to look at present company, and all.

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

Margo leaned over to put in her (extremely specific) order, and then turned to look at Irene. "Too bad you're not a magician," she said. "A few sartorial spells go a long way."

[begmetwice]

"It doesn't feel like cheating?" Irene suggested, tilting her head. "I'd love to magic myself up a ballgown as much as the next Cinderella who doesn't like bothering with middlemen, but it almost seems too easy."

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

Margo snorted. "Please. You wouldn't call it cheating if you knew how much fucking work it takes," she said. "I earned this fabulousness."

[begmetwice]

"You did," Irene agreed, and she would have agreed even if magic hadn't been involved. "Do you have to keep working at it, to keep the whole ensemble in place? Or is it sort of set, once you finish the spellwork?"

The former sounded like a headache. Shopping still seemed preferable, if that was the case.

[not_a_goddamn_princess]

"Nah, this is done," Margo said, glancing down at her dress. "But it's also less 'made this thing' and more 'made it winter proof', if you get what I mean. Always easier to work with something that already exists."

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon, too, was anxious to get some good tea before he might be stuck indoors, so the Perk it was.

He was getting a bit more hungry and strung out lately, but was still able to put on a good(ish) face, and he offered Irene a nod and a small smile as he waited for his order.

"Good morning."

[begmetwice]

"Morning, Jon," Irene called, fluttering a wave over her mug. "Have you heard they're taking all of Andrew's titles away? Mummy herself came out and told him so. The scandal."

Considering Irene herself was a former British Royal Family scandal incarnate, she was unlikely to shake her fascination with all of this any time soon. "And how are you?"

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

Jon smirked. "Couldn't happen to a nicer man. I'm fine." He was always fine. "You?"

[begmetwice]

"Grand," she replied, wiggling her phone. "Wildly entertained, at least. And cold, but there's not much to be done about that one until May or so."

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"I'm not looking forward to the snow around here," Jon admitted. He nodded to her phone. "Is there anything new? I haven't really been keeping up."

And funnily enough, the Eye didn't seem too interested in keeping him up to date on Royal scandals.

[begmetwice]

"Oh, the Andrew stuff is bad, Jon," Irene told him, wincing with more genuine emotion than just gossippy delight. "He's likely going to prison."

She blew out a breath, waving her phone a bit ruefully. "Have I ever told you I was a bit involved with Kate for awhile? Not this version, of course, but I keep wanting to reach out all the same, see how she and Will are doing."

Honestly, between the stress of this and the Harry stuff, Kate probably could use her services now more than ever.

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Really?" Jon blinked. "I'd say maybe even this version could use a friendly voice, but I don't suppose it's like you could call her up out of the blue without getting investigated or being assumed paparazzi."