Was a Sunny Day (Josh, Clarisse, John Thornton)

[Dr. Sean Neville]

((OOC: This takes place in the summer, before the Hammel Retreat.))


Part of the difficulty with Sean’s and Josh’s immediate peer group was that other couples with whom to spend time were few and far between. Josh wasn’t comfortable spending time with any of Sean’s exes, even though the telepath remained friends with them. Cobalt didn’t like Sean, and so double dates with him and Ben would be disastrous. Greg was single. Many of their other friends were also single or wanted to drink rather than engage in sober, more sedate activities. They had the Jenkins, which was wonderful, but they were the only couple in their age group.

Fortunately, Sean was friends with Clarisse, who was also fond of Josh. Discussing the desire to go out for a double date with the Frenchwoman at Hammel had led to her suggesting that he and Josh do something with her and John Thornton. It was a good suggestion, since John and Josh had been friends before the misunderstanding at last year’s barbecue. Surely that had blown over. For his part, the telepath had emphasized John’s heterosexuality to his partner both that day and later. Seeing him with Clarisse would only further bring home that point.

Besides, there would be no inclinations for cross-flirtation, which would put everyone at ease.

Because it was summer in Vermont, a picnic had been suggested. The weather was forecast to be nice for the entire weekend, and so on Saturday afternoon, they all met at the park near the lake. Sean and Josh had brought a large blanket for the four of them to sit on. They’d agreed to split up the food between the four of them to do as a sort of potluck; it had been the easiest way to avoid any good-natured arguments about hospitality.

As tended to happen when Sean was involved in planning any part of a meal, there was, perhaps, too much food. But he wouldn’t complain; everyone could take home the excess. Josh had baked two tarts, since he had moved on to more advanced desserts. One apple, because it was classic, and one blueberry, because one couldn’t enjoy summers in Vermont without picking fresh blueberries. The telepath had a recipe for baked chicken he had wanted to try: pretzel-crusted chicken, as an alternative to friend chicken. It had tasted good when sampling, and he’d hoped everyone else would approve. They had also made two types of salad and brought a bottle of wine.

Josh and Sean had arrived a little early, to set up the blanket. When John and Clarisse arrived, they greeted the younger couple with smiles. “It’s lovely weather, isn’t it?” Sean asked. “Please, sit down and make yourselves comfortable.”

[Clarisse Prideaux]

It hadn’t necessarily been impossible to convince Mister Thornton to come out to a picnic with another couple, but it had certainly taken a wee bit of convincing on Clarisse’s part. She was delighted when he finally agreed, as she did so cherish the time she was able to spend with Sean and Joshua, the two being lovely as they were.

Besides, Clarisse enjoyed the outdoors. She put her hand over her wide-brimmed hat to keep it from blowing away in a gentle breeze, smiling at John as they approached the other couple. He carried their food offering in a small picnic basket that Clarisse had provided: a bottle of wine accompanied by some finger sandwiches, a macaroni salad, and a small selection of cheeses. Clarisse hadn’t even thought twice that maybe she should bring wine.

There was never too much wine.

“Beautiful weather.” Clarisse agreed, sighing happily and greeting the good Doctor with a friendly squeeze to his shoulder. “This was such a lovely idea. I’m glad we decided to do it.” She said with a nod, lowering herself gracefully on the blanket and arranging the skirt of her dress over her knees. Reaching up she took the basket from John, patting the blanket next to her and encouraging him to sit.

[John Thornton]

It had taken a lot of convincing on Clarisse's part, yes. Firstly, because while John quite liked Josh as long as he never had to go to another BBQ at the man's house again, he still struggled with the telepathy issue from Joshua's... good friend.

And yes, that was an issue too. People were free to do what they wanted, inside of their houses.

Also, it was a picnic. Sitting on the ground was... was undignified. But Clarisse had said please, and had promised there would be wine, and... well, when he had said yes she'd smiled bright enough to make him forget exactly why he disliked picnics in the first place. And besides, he and the doctor had other things pressing on their minds, things that he would rather not have a telepath around to share in.

He was wearing a suit, though not in his usual navy, or dark grey. Clarisse had said that in summer, lighter colours were better; the tan one he had settled on had met with her approval, and she'd told him to wear one of his blue shirts with it. It felt strange, but she looked incandescent. He couldn't keep his mind on anything but that as they made their way to the other...

friends.

He watched Clarisse sit and scowled as she patted the blanket beside her. Really? Oh, for the love of... The things he did for love. Slowly, stiffly, the gentleman folded his legs and kelt besides the doctor with a slight wince. "Yes, lovely, good to see you," he agreed absently, opening the basket and pulling out the bottle and some glasses. "Doctor," he asked Clarrise with a slight smile, then turned to the others. "Ah, doctor? Mr Bernstein? It's red."

[Joshua Bernstein]

(OOC: I...I actually managed to get caught up enough to post here. o.o)

When Josh had first learned that John was straight he had been utterly perplexed, and rather embarrassed. He had been so certain that the other man shared his preference for men, and had even been mentally trying to decide who to set him up with.

He had even more of a shock when Sean had informed him that John was seeing Clarisse. She was a lovely woman in every meaning of the word, but she was definitely a woman.

Perhaps Sean was right after all.

He was, however, still very fond of both of them, and so of course when Sean had suggested a double date he had begun looking at recipes so that he could practice his nascent baking skills.


"Wonderful!" Josh smiled appreciatively at the bottle of wine John produced. "That should go well with the pie....and the chicken." Of course, chicken went well with just about any wine. "I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but it smelled delicious when Sean was baking it."

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean was also of the opinion that there couldn’t be too much wine at a casual gathering. As such, his smile had brightened when the bottle had been produced. Even though it was red, which wasn’t typically suited to poultry (it went with red meat and heavy sauce), it would still be most appreciated. It would be refreshing on a day like today.

“I’d love a glass,” he said to John, shifting on the large blanket to make room for both Clarisse and the Englishman. Unsurprisingly, both of them were dressed exceptionally nicely; the telepath couldn’t recall ever seeing either of them in less than their best.

Sean then turned back to Clarisse, still smiling. “I’m glad we did too. We have to take advantage of the good weather before the snow sets in.” And they were fortunate, since this time last year, they had needed to clean up the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. There had been no time for picnics.

With their group gathered, Sean set out the food, nudging the platter of chicken towards Clarisse and John to sample first, before he and Josh took their pieces. “It’s a new recipe, so I hope I was able to do it justice.” If not, it could go in the pile of failed experiments.

“Do either of you plan on chaperoning the upcoming retreat?” He hadn’t looked at the final staff list yet.

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Clarisse watched John’s face crease in a scowl as she invited him to sit. She returned it with her own skeptical gaze. If Mister Thornton had it his way they would never leave the house or try anything new. He was certainly stuffy, but she was fond of him even so. Very fond. When he kneeled beside her, she patted his knee gently.

“Yes please, dear.” She accepted the glass of wine with a nod.

Curious about what they would be eating, Clarisse peered curiously at the chicken. “How is it made?” She asked, chuckling slightly. “Mister Bernstien, it seems you have truly become a master baker. Your pies are beautiful.”

At the mention of the retreat, Clarisse drew vaguely back into herself, as if surprised. She was certainly caught off guard. Simply by virtue of her position in the school, she didn’t often find herself having to actually discuss the retreat. Obviously she was staff, and closer to the teaching community than most, but she was at least able to float on the fringes when she wanted to. She looked to John in a moment of hesitation.

“Well, no. Unfortunately we won’t even be attending the retreat.” Clarisse explained. “We weren’t able to…separate ourselves from some business.”

[John Thornton]

Luckily, Thornton wasn't a telepath, or he would have been mortified to know that red wasn't the right choice. Clarisse had been giving him some education on the finer points of wine, but he still tended to simply pick what he knew they liked, no matter the food. The 'dear' made him smile automatically and he watched her fingers on the glass stem with something akin to private awe.

He was besotted. It was getting increasingly difficult to hide that fact.

The englishman was not so far gone, however, that he forgot to pour wine for the two men with them, handing the glasses over. He had never really been on a picnic, not since he was very young, before Mary was born. And he hadn't sat on the floor for... well, for a long time. Clarisse and Sean chatted about cooking and John listened half heartedly, covering the hand Clarisse had left on his knee with his own.

For Joshua and Sean, it may well have been the first time they had seen Mister Thornton look, if not happy, then content. He was no longer scowling, at any rate. But his blue eyes widened a little as Clarisse looked at him for a moment, then nodded his head slightly. "It is... regrettable," he said after a moment, then looked at the french doctor with a questioning raise of his eyebrows. She knew them better, and would know if it was a topic that should be brought up. "But, the way things stand now, we have had to do some planning."

He cleared his throat, and took another mouthful of wine. John didn't exactly sip his beverages.

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh accepted the glass John poured with a nod of thanks. He typically preferred beer to wine, but it all had alcohol, and thus was acceptable. And besides, beer was a very thoughtful gesture; just the sort of host present he would expect from two people as refined as John and Clarisse.

He waited patiently for the other couple to select their chicken, savoring his glass of wine in the meantime.

However, the chicken was all but forgotten at the reaction the two Europeans had to mention of the retreat, and he glanced between the two of them, and then at Sean, curiosity plain on his face.

"Business?" He inquired, feeling as though he was missing some crucial piece of information. "Planning? I'm very sorry, I don't quite follow."

Was he supposed to know what they were talking about? Had Sean mentioned anything about them during the evenings and he had just not noticed? He thought he did an adequate job listening to his partner discuss work, and he was very sure he would have remembered something that involved two people he considered his friends. But as it was he was quite clueless.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean smiled and gratefully accepted some of the wine. His and Josh’s liquor preferences were inverted, as he would rather drink wine than beer on any given occasion; although, like his partner, he made do when his preferred beverage was unavailable.

Once he had a glass of wine, he brought it to his lips for a sip, and then his smile widened. It was ripe, which never failed to please his palate. “This is very good,” he remarked, before taking another sip.

When Clarisse inquired about the chicken, the telepath turned his attention to her. “I can give you the recipe if you’d like, but the crust is made of pretzel, held together with egg whites, honey mustard, and a little bit of parmesan. Then I baked them instead of frying them; to keep them light.”

He was a bit discriminating when it came to chicken cutlet recipes. The last thing he wanted was to eat something that hit his stomach like a lead brick. “I hope you like them,” he added.

If not, there was plenty of other food, but he wanted Clarisse and John to be able to enjoy everything.

On the subject of John, the telepath had to admit that he looked almost comfortable. Or what passed for comfortable in his experience with John Thornton. He had to hand it to Clarisse; she was very good for the trainer.

Sean was equally in the dark regarding the business to which Clarisse and John Thornton alluded. He and Clarisse were friends, and they often discussed matters pertaining to their personal lives, as well as work-related matters, but he had no recollection of her mentioning anything that might fall into the category of ubiquitous business. If she had, he wouldn’t have brought up the retreat so casually. He tried to communicate that to his partner silently through eye contact, while letting the younger man lead the charge of inquiry.