An Invited Guest (Sean)

Anya had no idea what Sean had been up to the previous night. She had simply kicked her feet up, marked some essays and checked through her files for any pupils who may have needed extra attention. Other than that, it was a night of reading, hot chocolate and her favourite food - creme brulee. So while Sean had a night full of action, Anya had simply relaxed.

As for now, she had just finished the quiche base and loading fresh savoury custard into it, when the door was knocked. Quickly, she brushed down her apron and opened the door, flashing Sean a wonderfully bright smile. "Sean! Come in!" She said warmly, stepping aside to let the man in, before closing the door behind him. "Make yourself comfortable, I'm still baking. I hope you can excuse the papers on the side, I've been trying to decide who needs what attention." Laughing, she ran a hand through her hair and settled back to the stove. A little flour lingered in her fringe as she chopped leeks.

"Had a busy friday?" She asked casually, moving her fingers over to the chopped bacon and sprinkling it in the savoury custard. "I've not been too good with Fridays, I think I always conk out and feel like I've done far too much in a week." Shrugging her shoulders, she moved on to the oven, putting the quiche in, clearly comfortable to talk as she baked. "I hope you're hungry! I have plenty of food planned." Anya smiled brightly and moved back round to perch on the sofa, hands rested on her lap.

Comfortably, she turned the blinds to let the springtime sunshine in. "It's actually quite a nice day, I went out to get a few bits and pieces in just a sweater!" Moving back, she started to cut the cherries up for the dessert. "Oh, I forgot to say, we're having quiche with salad and potatoes, then a cherry-chocolate cake for dessert. I hope you aren't allergic to anything." Hesitating, Anya stopped chopping the cherries and looked a little worried. "I'd rather not have my lunch guest going to hospital after one mouthful."

Upon recieving the scotch, Anya looked delighted and looked at the year. "Oh wonderful, thank you. I haven't had scotch for quite some time!" Setting the bottle on the counter, she continued to bustle around the kitchen contentedly, finding herself relax instantly in Sean's company.

When Sean kindly offered to help she looked surprised, then broke into another easy smile. "If you'd like to, I'm hardly going to complain, but as a guest, you're more than welcome to just sit down and watch." And then came the fun part, melting the chocolate ready for the dessert. Clearing a space for Sean to help in, she handed him the knife and the large block of high quality cooking chocolate - Anya never did things by halves, especially not when guests were involved.

"That sounds like a wonderful reunion, wasn't it awkward between you and the husband, though?" Anya asked casually, checking on the quiche and washing two potatoes ready to be baked. "I mean, the past is the past, of course, but it must have been odd seeing her? Or am I just far too heavily curious about these things?" Smiling and laughing, she bustled over to the oven and set the potatoes in. "If you could chop and melt the chocolate for me, you'd more than earn your gold star!" Putting her hands on her hips, Anya looked around the kitchen, reminding herself of the other jobs she needed to do before she could serve the lunch.

She couldn't help but grin a little as Sean complimented her cooking twice, trying to fuss at the salad to not seem overly smug. "Well that's wonderful, but I'd still rather you were in one piece afterwards. Else how am I going to get you to come over again?" Laughing musically, she tossed salad into a bowl and looked over her shoulder. "I hope the place isn't too small for you, normally it's just me and Dashenka. Talking of Dashenka, where is she?" Frowning a moment, Anya stepped out from the kitchen island and searched through the other rooms, suddenly letting out a relieved sigh, and returning with a sleek Siamese cat in her arms.

"Sean, this is Dashenka. She's very friendly, so don't worry. She's not a scratchy sort of cat." Smiling gently, she placed Dashenka down on the floor, where the Siamese dashed over to Sean's legs and eagerly rubbed against them, purring.

"Young love." Anya remarked with a soft, almost sad smile. Pushing thoughts of her own first love -and last- from her mind, she began to sift the flour ready for making the cake. "Older than I've been alive? You're making me feel like a young whippersnapper treading on your lawn!" Giggling, she contiued to mix the dry goods together, looking over Sean's shoulder at the chocolate cutting. "Well, I think you've aged very well, and I'm not just saying that, either." Anya quickly turned to check on the oven, smiling to herself.

"It was gold stars and praise when I was young. Of course, now it's gold stars and praise even if the child is naughty, but let's not get back into that unsavoury subject." Shrugging her shoulders, she began to set the table, humming to herself brightly. "I brought out a bottle of wine, I thought we could break into it." Pausing, she lifted the bottle and showed it to Sean. "It certainly beats drinking by myself and laughing at how it makes me look."

Stamp collection? Anya laughed brightly and ran her fingers through her hair. "Or you could admire my beautiful china cat collection." Nodding to a set of figurines in a small display cabinet, she tapped her cheek. "I'm nearly finished, too. I started collecting when I was seven, my mother brought me one little cat." Trailing off, she washed her hands, then returned back to the kitchen island, peering over at Sean's progress.

Dashenka's little tail stayed high in the air as she circled Sean's legs, erupting into purrs as Sean stroked her. "She's a sweetheart." Anya said gently, preparing the waterbath for melting the chocolate. "A housecat though, she's got absolutely no outside savvy at all!" Chuckling to herself, she looked down at Dashenka accusingly. "You aren't buttering Sean up just so you can have the leftovers, are you Dashie?" Shaking her head, she laughed as the little cat continued to purr and weave around Sean, eyes half closed. "You've got a friend for life now." She added, moving to the oven once more.

"Hmm, I think you might have to work on that shake." Anya laughed, helping Sean with the chocolate, moving the knife dextrously. "Well, I'd be delighted to sit on your lawn drinking lemonade and hearing your stories, you sound like you have plenty." Boiling the kettle, Anya filled a bowl with the steaming water and gently moved the chopped chocolate into another bowl, placing it over the hot water. Grabbing a pat of butter, she gently stirred it in, humming to herself brightly.

Shaking her head at the old man comment, she bent down and lifted Dashenka up into her arms, cradling the feline against her chest. "Trust me." She began, laughing at the little Siamese's desperation to get back to Sean. "She probably gets more of my cooking than I do, but I do love indulging her." Placing the cat gently into a small bed on the table, she eyed her collection with a chuckle. "Fourty two, so far. The maker always brings out more, so it's a never ending fight to catch up with him. Parisian designer, did a beautiful collection of porcelain shoes, actually."

Gently, Anya stirred the chocolate furiously then began adding various bits and stirring furiously, adding fresh cherries and pouring the mix into a cake tin. "We're nearly ready to go!" She added brightly, taking the quiche and potatoes from the oven, then putting the cake in it's place. "I'll be honest, I've been looking forward to this all week."

Taking off her floral apron, the young woman tossed her hair and pulled out a set of glasses, pouring the wine out. "Well, bon appetit!" Anya laughed, serving the quiche, salad and potatoes up on serving dishes. "Help yourself!"

As the plates of food were placed on the table, Anya took her seat and smiled brightly, lifting her glass and chinking it gently with Sean's own. "Hmm..." She began, looking a little relieved to be sitting down. "To new friends and sailing?" She offered, smile brightening. Taking a quick sip, the woman then began to serve the dinner, slicing the quiche and sliding a portion onto Sean's plate. As if the sun agreed with this toast, it broke through the slight cloud and glimmered across the cutlery. Anya hadn't had lunch with someone for a very, very long time, and she'd forgotten how pleasent it was to share food and conversation.

"Oh, the cats? I tend to order them from the designer. Occasionally he'll put a few in the sales and I'll bulk buy." Laughing musically, Anya helped herself to salad and potatoes and began to eat. "Sometimes I find they show up in little nick-nack shops but it's difficult to keep up with that, since I don't have time to constantly patrol the shops." Running her fingers through her hair a moment, she looked over to the rows of different posed china cats. "Do you collect anything?"

At that point, Dashenka pounced and climbed up into Anya's lap, eyes focused on the quiche. "Dashie wants to join in." She laughed, stroking the little cat's head. "I should probably fetch her some cat treats or she'll be unbearable, excuse me just a second!" Lifting the cat up and over her shoulder, she moved over to a small cupboard and pulled out a few cat treats, offering them out. Dashenka took them greedily, and Anya set her back down on the floor. "There." She said softly, returning to her seat. "She's a little bit of an attention seeker... not unlike a few of my students." She added, laughing.

Anya had to think for a moment as to the vineyard that produced the wine. Picking it up, she calmly read the back of the bottle, then allowed herself a relaxed smile. "Ah yes, my father sent it from Russia when he'd visited through Austria. It's a Riesling, Neusiedlersee region." Shaking her head, she passed the bottle to Sean calmly. "My father is a bit of a wine lover, in our family home we had a vast wine cellar, perhaps one day you could come and see it." Taking a forkful of quiche, Anya relaxed in the company, happy to talk.

"Baseball cards? My father often brought them home when he travelled, not for me but for any friends I may have had at school." She hesitated, unhappy to mention Kirill or even think of him for that matter. Rubbing her nose, she quickly grabbed another baked potato and pushed a knob of butter into it. "Collecting is a terrible habit, I'll admit. I'dve probably bought myself a house by now if I wasn't so obsessive about my little cat collection." Pushing her hair back over her shoulder, she listened to Sean interestedly. American upbringing was fascinating to her, having only what her father had told her before she had come to Hammel, her own experience at the school and what friends had insinuated. "Excuse me for prying." She began, sipping her wine. "But what was it like growing up for you?"

Anya had lived a priviliged life in Russia. Her family were affluent and could afford to indulge their only child, spoiling her with opportunities to shine. From horse riding, skiing, sled races and private English lessons, she knew that her life had been a lucky one. However, she no longer came to her family for help, enjoying the independance of having her own apartment, bought with nothing but her own money. She could have asked and been bought a nice little house, but she'd insisted on doing things her way. It didn't stop her parents from offering, though.

Looking fondly at Dashenka, who was now perched on the windowsill, cleaning her paws, Anya laughed. "It's true, she probably wants us to both drop to our knees and pet her for the rest of the afternoon." Taking a piece of beetroot from the salad, she stretched out, pulling a little snag from her jumper. "I've had her since a kitten, there's a picture album you'd probably find fascinating hiding around here somewhere." Tapping a finger to her cheek, she glanced round the room. "It's mostly pictures of a very young me, and my family, but I have a hunch you'd probably gain a lot from it." Looking at Sean thoughtfully, she swilled the wine in her glass round. "Just promise not to laugh at my somewhat interesting haircuts back then."