The Perk, Sunday Afternoon

[endsthegame]

With three children and a husband who was exploiting his return to Fandom in good style, Ender didn't have much time to go out and do much of anything by himself. He didn't mind, but after months, it was beginning to wear on him. And so, given the chance to get out of the apartment for an hour, he took it.

He pulled up a chair at the Perk, his simple black coffee in hand, and settled in. Looking out the window. Looking inside.

Watching the people move around, going about their lives.

[[ open, if sp ]]

Comments

[lockestheway]

Envy had her own life and her own responsibilities, and honestly, Peter loved that about her. It made him feel less guilty about spending as much time at work as he did.

Still, she was supposed to be home right now, and yet she wasn't. And so by Sunday Peter had sighed, checked his phone again, checked his gut again, and then agreed that maybe he could survive taking a short trip to Fandom to see if she was still there.

And that was the main reason he was here.

But then he spotted Ender through the window.

"Hey, squirt," he said, striding into the Perk. "I didn't think I'd ever see you here again."

[endsthegame]

There was only one human being alive who could waltz in like that with such confidence and speak like that, and the second Ender heard that 'squirt' a little headache began to develop, in a tiny place in his mind that had been left to gather dust for quite a long time.

"Peter," he said. "The reunion was last week."

[lockestheway]

"You mean the weekend where everyone turns twenty years older and there's a bunch of drama that almost never comes back again?" Peter said breezily. He sank into the seat in front of Ender. "No, thank you. I'm here to find my beautiful bride-to-be, who's been scoping out our wedding location and now doesn't seem to be answering her phone."

She probably would in a minute, if she was here, wouldn't she? Peter reached for his phone.

[endsthegame]

There was really no point in pointing out to Peter that Ender hadn't actually invited him to sit down. There was only the getting through this moment.

"You're getting married?" Ender asked.

Not to Petra, he assumed. Not this Peter.

[lockestheway]

"In two weeks," Peter agreed, grinning. "Right here. You know. We figured it'd be sentimental, since we met here and everything."

[endsthegame]

Ender couldn't remember the last time Peter had done anything out of sentimentality. Or the first, actually.

He heaved an internal sigh. "Of course," he said. "I'm sure there'll be tears. Are our parents coming?"

[lockestheway]

Peter waved a hand. "No, we're leaving that for a private ceremony later," he said. "But hey, cheer up! I know you've always wanted to be my best man."

[endsthegame]

"No," Ender said.

[lockestheway]

"Now that's a real disappointment, kid," Peter said. (No, he didn't care that this Ender could be older than he was. Not even a little.) "Hopefully you'll at least come to the ceremony. And the concert. Envy's been planning it for months."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy breezed in with the annoyed stride of a person who was determined to get back home today, and was apparently planning to power herself with coffee to do it.

And then she came to a stop.

"Well that's one too many Wiggins for my needs."

[endsthegame]

"Envy," Ender greeted neutrally. "It's good to see you, too."

[lockestheway]

"Oh good," Peter said, rising from his seat. "You are here."

[whenshewasnice]

"Andrew," Envy replied, with the curtest of curt nods before turning her attention on Peter: "I've been trying to get home since Friday."

[endsthegame]

Well. Hopefully that curt dismissal meant Ender could slowly free himself from this conversation, and return home to warn Ben of the impending Wiggin invasion. He sipped his coffee, and said nothing.

[lockestheway]

"Well, your savior has arrived," Peter said. He lifted the drink the barista had by now delivered. "Latte-toting and ready to portal home."

[whenshewasnice]

"If Portalocity agrees," Envy drawled.

But, well, he was here so clearly they were doing something.

[lockestheway]

"Portal's already booked, leaving in an hour," Peter said smoothly, "I called them to check ten minutes ago."

[whenshewasnice]

It was the first thing in a while that made Envy actually look a little pleased.

"My hero," she said, stepping closer to brush a quick kiss against his cheek. For him, and for herself - but since she wasn't too big on PDA, a little bit also because Ender was there to see it.

The reflexes of a united front had had a long time to settle in, by now.

[endsthegame]

Ender managed to avoid rolling his eyes by sheer force of personality. He raised his cup and took a sip. "If you don't mind," he said, "I do need to get going."

[lockestheway]

And Peter appreciated those reflexes. He grinned, taking the kiss like a champ, and said, "Sure, sure, flee."

He looked at Envy. "He doesn't want to be my best man, alas."

[whenshewasnice]

"Aw, well that's just too bad," Envy replied, her tone going all saccharine. "But I think we'll live."

[lockestheway]

Peter... was probably going to call Ender later with a more concilliatory tone, to be fair. But for now, he watched his brother leaved, and turned back to Envy. "Hopefully the weekend wasn't too painful."

[whenshewasnice]

And Envy would support him in whatever he chose to do. But until then, she'd be a bitch in public.

And right now, she rolled her eyes. "Well, I got up-to-date pics for the crew, so I guess that's something."

She'd also taken some really big nostalgia walks, but shush.

[lockestheway]

"Enough to finalize our plans?" Peter asked.

[whenshewasnice]

"Just about," Envy replied. "Although if you wanted to go take one last look at the park for yourself, I wouldn't mind that."

[lockestheway]

"Only if you walk with me," Peter said, smiling.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy snorted.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight, Wiggin."

[lockestheway]

"Aw, you say the sweetest things," Peter said, holding out his hand for her.

[whenshewasnice]

"Well, I am the sweetest thing in your life."

And taking his hand, now.

[lockestheway]

"That you are," Peter agreed, "Which probably doesn't say anything particularly good about the rest of the company I keep."

He tugged her towards the door.

[whenshewasnice]

He was the only one who got to tug Envy, so it was no surprise that she followed with ease and grace.

"No," she agreed, "but that just makes it all the more important you secure this asset."

[lockestheway]

"I believe in this century the proper phrase is 'put a ring on it'," Peter said, opening the door, at which point he stopped tugging and instead stepped aside to let her go first.

[whenshewasnice]

"And I believe," Envy replied, as she brushed past him out the door, "I've only ever cared about proper when it happened to suit me, in this and every other century."

[deathsmajesty]

Some amount of time before the Wiggin Family Hour, Liliana entered the Perk with much less of her usual fanfare than she generally showed when she arrived anywhere. She went immediately to the counter, standing ramrod straight while she ordered a truly decadent drink for herself (and another large, black coffee to be picked up on her way out) and then went to find a seat at one of the nearby tables.

"Ah," she said when she spotted Ender, giving him a nod."Professor Wiggin, hello," she said, unable to hide a small grimace as she took her seat.

[endsthegame]

"Liliana," Ender echoed, nodding back at her. "Are you all right?"

[deathsmajesty]

Her naturally pale skin was paler still and a little waxy, and sweat beaded her brow and her upper lip as if just this much exertion had tired her out, and there had been a minute twitch with every step. She sat with a posture severe enough to make an etiquette teacher wince, which some people might have taken for a sign that she was fine - but not anyone who had interacted with her enough to know that she preferred a more nonchalant lounge. So no, she really wasn't and he could watch her debate with herself whether to brazenly lie about it anyway.

"I have been better," she allowed. "I had a bit of an unexpected adventure on Friday, but I'm recovering. At least enough to go out for an indulgent coffee." She gave him a crooked grin. "You might have noticed, I'm teaching a class on the subject. Far be it for me to not live up to my own standards."

[endsthegame]

"I would hardly expect any less," Ender said, sipping his own coffee. "Though I fear I'm less inclined to 'treating myself'."

He took her in, debating the wisdom of asking her more about what had happened, and decided he'd let the conversation get there naturally if it did.

[deathsmajesty]

"The prevailing sentiment on the island, which is why I'm offering the class in the first place," Liliana said. "Whyever not, darling?"

[endsthegame]

"Reasons of my own that I'm comfortable with," Ender said, with a wry smile. "But my husband does prevent me from completely vanishing into my work."

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana nodded as if he's confirmed something she'd suspected, but simply said, "Of course. That does seem the general tenor of things around here. I don't suppose he enjoys waking up early and going for a brisk jog around the island?"

[endsthegame]

"Sometimes, yes," Ender said, even more wryly. "Why?"

[deathsmajesty]

"A fairly common pairing around here," Liliana said. "The one who must be reminded to come up for air from their work by their partner with a penchant for early mornings and vigorous exercise." Her name was called and she slowly rose to her feet, managing to make it look stately, so long as you didn't notice how much she was using the table to assist her rise. "Not that I know either of you well enough to say it's a perfect match, of course, but it seemed worth the question."

[endsthegame]

Ender let out a soft, amused huff. "Well, I'm glad to know we're so easily classified," he said.

They weren't, and it was more complicated than that, but Ender - as she well knew, by now - wasn't the kind to overshare.

[deathsmajesty]

"Oh yes," Liliana agreed, amused, as she drifted over to the counter for her coffee. "If there's one way I would describe you, it is absolutely 'easily categorized.'"

[endsthegame]

Ender smiled behind his coffee cup. He didn't respond, waiting instead for her to collect her coffee.

There was little point in yelling across the shop.

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana received her coffee and then retook her seat. She also didn't seem particularly interested in diving immediately back into their conversation, taking a few moments to drink her beverage and catch her breath.