The Perk, Tuesday Late Morning

[deathsmajesty]

There were plenty of people wandering about the island today saying things like 'New year, new me!' and talking about their resolutions towards self-improvement for the year. Liliana didn't understand any of it; it wasn't that she thought she was flawless - in fact, she had several flaws she positively delighted in indulging - she just liked herself very much precisely how she was and saw no real reason to change. And certainly no reason to make those changes out to be aspirational.

Which, of course, wasn't to say that she didn't have resolutions of her own, but those were things to accomplish, not ways to change. There was her class, of course, and setting up her wards, and getting the mansion refurbished...most importantly, however, was killing Griselbrand, Razaketh, and Belzenlok and freeing her soul from their clutches.

New year, new me? Hardly. But new year, new lease on life? That was a slogan with possibility.

She settled into a chair with her ridiculous cup of coffee, her new lesson planner open on the table in front of her, fountain pen at the ready, currently content to people-watch...and dream about how good it would feel to leave her demons bleeding in the mud.

[Open! I'm still miserable, so may be occasionally spotty, but would love the entertainment!]

Comments

[mess_and_i_are_friends]

Humphrey walked in at some point and headed to the counter with what he hoped was a simple request.

"Good day and Happy New Year" he said to the barista. "I'd like a large hot Earl Grey tea please."

There was a solid minute of silence as the barista just stared blankly before Humphrey tried again. "Hot tea? May I have a large hot tea please?"

The barista just continued to stare as Humphrey sighed. This was going to take some time evidently.

[deathsmajesty]

A familiar voice drew Liliana's attention over towards the counter and she hid her smile behind her own cup. She was fairly certain that the barista knew exactly what Humphrey was after and was just messing with him deliberately. Now then, should she intercede? Or watch how this all played out?

...It wasn't really a question. Liliana sat back to enjoy this newest bit of entertainment. It wasn't a screed on the perfidy of pumpkin spice, but the day was still young.

[mess_and_i_are_friends]

"Hot tea" Humphrey said again. "You know... you take the tea bag, pour the hot water over it.... Makes nice 'tea leaf water' and some of you seem to call it." Humphrey sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Look how about I just.... come back there... and show you?" he tried to no avail. "A cup of coffee then maybe? Could you manage that?" Yes, that was how desperate he was for something nice and hot. He'd be willing to take coffee *shudder*

[deathsmajesty]

The real tragedy of this was that she didn't have popcorn. Or any other small treat to eat while she watched.

Pour one out for the real victim of this interplay: the nosy third party avidly watching but sadly snackless.

[mess_and_i_are_friends]

Eventually, Humphrey got something. It most definitely was not a large Earl Grey he had come in for. But it was hot and hopefully tasted somewhat palatable.

"Thanks" Humphrey said with a small slightly sarcastic nod as he took his whatever-the-heck-it-was and scanned the tables to find a place to sit.

[deathsmajesty]

And lo, there was a Liliana, waggling her fingers at him. It didn't take words for her to admit that she had shamelessly been watching the entire interaction and had been highly amused all throughout it.

[mess_and_i_are_friends]

Oh was that a smile of relief on Humphrey's face? Yes, yes it was.

"Ah Liliana" he said as he walked over. "You would not believe how hard it is to get a cup of tea around here!"

She probably could but Humphrey was a bit clueless about that at this point really...

[begmetwice]

Irene, who had observed a small portion of the whole tea fiasco -- time could be so fluid and strange in the Perk, you know? -- called out a gentle suggestion when it seemed like Humphrey wasn't too distracted.

"You might try asking for a London Fog, hold the milk, next time." She winked at him over her own cup of tea -- and whether her suggestion had merit or not, the broader point was that her accent at least suggested she understood his plight.

[mess_and_i_are_friends]

Oh now that was a very familiar and comforting accent and Humphrey immediately picked up on it and perked up as he turned towards the source. It didn't take a detective to recognize a familiar Londoner accent.

"Oh, that is a good thought" he nodded as he considered that suggestion. "I will keep that in mind next time. Thank you." He hesitated a moment that social awkwardness starting to creep in as he wasn't sure what to say next. "I'm Humphrey. Detective Humphrey Goodman," he said with a somewhat awkward smile.

[begmetwice]

"Irene Adler," she replied smoothly, delicately shifting her tea so she could offer out her right hand to shake. "Wonderful to meet you, Detective."

Goodness, but the island was starting to collect them. There were at least three, now! Lucky Irene, with her detective fascination.

"And I assume we're countrymen in a strange land," she continued, tilting her head -- there almost seemed to be something else there, maybe? -- "unless my ears are playing tricks."

[mess_and_i_are_friends]

Humphrey took the offered hand and gave what was his absolute best attempt at a non-awkward handshake. "Ah yes, native of London, recently arrived here in Fandom... by way of the Caribbean" Humphrey said with a small nod, rather impressed if Irene had been able to pick up that small bit of the island that he had started to pick up after being there a few years. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Adler."

[begmetwice]

"That's it," Irene agreed with a little nod, as though satisfied with the answer. (It would have bothered her for weeks, like it had with Steven, so thank you, Humphrey!) "Where in the Caribbean, if I may ask? And why on god's green earth are you in Maryland now?"

She did understand better than most people how one might find oneself in the States due to circumstances beyond one's control, but still. Lousy trade-in, that.

[mess_and_i_are_friends]

"Ah, I was stationed on a little island called Saint Marie (which didn't actually exist outside of canon) and worked with their police force," Humphrey explained. "I got transferred there from my home base in London to help with a big murder case and kinda just stuck around... for a few years" he smiled fondly.

"As for why I am here now, that is a little complicated" he admitted as he rubbed the back of his head. "Suffice to say there were some relationship issues brewing and I figured a change of scenery might be in order." (Also the fact that he was so totally running away from said relationship issues so he didn't have to face them just yet.)

[begmetwice]

Irene was -- as was so often the case of a Tuesday -- on a bit of a mission when she made it into the Perk. Not so much of a mission, mind, that she'd missed Liliana's presence; in fact, it prompted her to order a second cookie shaped like a snowflake, in addition to her own tea and a relatively nondescript coffee.

"Don't you look busy," Irene commented delightedly, stopping at the table adjacent to Liliana's to neatly shove a stopper into the coffee cup. Wouldn't do for that one to get cold before it reached its destination. "Busy and in possession of a more than decent pen, look at that thing. What are you trying to do to me, woman?"

Just because Irene was literally holding treats for someone else did not mean she could not, or would not, shamelessly flirt.

[deathsmajesty]

Anyone who tried to convince Irene otherwise was on a mission to destroy happiness and should be treated with absolute disdain for the attempt.

"Oh why, thank you, darling," Liliana preened. "Ignis got me my lesson planner for Christmas, but the pen is my own. I do adore good pens; I have ever since my Strixhaven days when I - ahem - borrowed one from one of my professors and realized just how beautifully it wrote."

It had been an actual borrowing! She'd just elided over the returning aspect of it. Look, finals were a busy time for prefects.

"And I'm obviously trying to seduce you, darling!" Liliana grinned over to her. "Women who recognize the merit and value of a good pen are to be treasured." She looked up at Irene with a wicked little grin and wrote Irene in her planner, the ink gliding smoothly over the page.

[begmetwice]

"Oh, I love a good to-do list," Irene commented with a matching, sly smile sent Liliana's way, glancing up from her own name written there.

Please. It was right there.

"Be still my heart, I don't think I've seen a pen that pretty in ages," she sighed, dramatically clutching a hand to her breast as she sank into one of those adjacent chairs -- weak knees, you know. (And, you know, it wasn't just the pen who was pretty, that was all part of this too.) "But does this mean you're teaching this go-round, love? Is someone making you?"

Mostly a joke. Irene had quite liked teaching, when she had done it. It was mostly some mysterious force these days that convinced her she didn't have enough time.

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana had to laugh before she could properly answer, and toast Irene with her coffee cup, that had been well-played, indeed and Liliana (almost) always appreciated a clever witticism. And if her eyes followed that clutching hand, well, Irene was quite attractive and a bit of friendly appreciation was practically owed to the other woman.

"Indeed it does," she said, once she managed to stop chuckling. "I'll be teaching Necromancer's Guide to the Undead, since even if no one on this island needs to know the differences between a sculler, a revenant, a lich, and a skaab, I am professionally required to give everyone the opportunity to be informed of them anyway."

[begmetwice]

Right? Just gals being pals, there. It would be rude not to look at Irene's rack, thank you.

"You know, 'round here, that kind of thing might be more than a little useful," Irene told her with a little inclination towards Liliana with her own cup, like that was a good point. "I wouldn't know a lich if I tripped over one. Might be worth actually signing up for it -- I'm taking a class outside of the summer session for the first time since I left uni, as it is."

[deathsmajesty]

And while Liliana had no compunctions about being rude when it was warranted - or even when it wasn't and she simply felt moved in that direction - this was one time she was quite pleased to mind her p's and q's and make sure that Irene and her lovely rack felt appropriately appreciated.

"Ooh, which class?" she asked, since Liliana was nerd enough to never pass up a chance to talk about education, even if she weren't the one providing it. "And yes, you should. You'll already be getting an impromptu lesson whenever we manage to schedule that visit to my estate. Might as well get credit for it, no?"

Zombies and guns, like peanut butter and chocolate.

[stykera]

Stark had no planner and no resolutions besides his continuous 'try to be better.' He did still have a terrible sweet tooth and after his visit to the gym (which had been full of weird vibes) he wanted something coffee-adjacent and full of sugar. Maybe even a baked good or breakfast sandwich to go with it.

"Hello, Liliana," he said, raising his cup in her direction.

[deathsmajesty]

Yet another reason to just...not go to the gym. Especially in the mornings. Best to just avoid both of those entirely.

"Stark," Liliana replied, returning the gesture. "And how does the New Year find you?"

[stykera]

But the gym had a certain redhead who wore new gym outfits every week! And the gains, Liliana, you couldn't underestimate the gains.

"Well, so far," he said, smiling a little. "Though the gym had so many rude people in it this morning. I'm not even sure where they all came from. And you?"

[deathsmajesty]

It's true, the appeal was lost upon her. Even Ignis and his workouts weren't enough to tempt her into a building that smelled like sweat and demanded yet more.

"Up early as a surprise," she said, a secret smile playing about her lips. "And working on my lesson plans. I have a lot of ground to cover and barely any time to do it in."

Woe. How was she supposed to cover the entirety of the undead in only seventeen classes?

[stykera]

"Waking up was a surprise?" Stark asked. "I tend to wake up early. Most days."

Sometimes he was very tired and needed to sleep in. For reasons.

"Are you looking forward to teaching your class then? I haven't decided yet if I'm taking anything."

[deathsmajesty]

"Oh, mornings are a horrid time of day and exist solely to give me more time to sleep in," Liliana explained earnestly, though she had been going to bed earlier than her pre-Fandom habit for... reasons.

"And indeed. I adore discussing the finer points of magic and necromancy. I gave some thought to being a professor for awhile, but I had...other things to do."