December Event: Pilot Ridge Holiday Bash

[Riley Adams]

The party was in full swing and already Stephen had downed a few drinks. Riley had quietly chided him to take things slow but the younger man had become just slightly snarky in his inebriation. Of course, Stephen wasn't completely drunk but he was showing symptoms and it was enough for Riley to retreat.

And the only place he could find such solace was in Cobalt who was more or less surrounded by people. Some Riley knew and some he didn't. Josh, Sean and Clarisse were familiar faces while the rest were just vaguely familiar. He must have seen them about town, perhaps? When he heard Josh ordering hot chocolate, he did the same.

With everyone seemingly fussing over Josh, and the not so subtle romance blooming between Clarisse and a rather stately gentleman producing a rosebud out of 'thin air', Riley came and went without attracting too much attention to the group. He got his hot chocolate and sat beside a man sporting a glass with clear liquid in it.

"Some bash," Riley commented with a sideways grin to the man who turned and gave him a slow smile. "Indeed. Are you acquainted with anyone around here?" The man asked and Riley nodded to the group he had just left. "And that man over there. Although he'd much rather be acquainted with his drink." Despite the rather curt comment he had made about Stephen, the tone of his voice was quite affectionate and the smile that came after betrayed any resentment he might have felt towards people who drink too much. Or drink at all.

"Yourself?" Riley asked, sipping his hot chocolate slowly. "Just the family and surprisingly that group over there as well." The man nodded in the general direction of where Sean, Josh and Cobalt were standing. "Small world." Riley grinned before raising a hand when Cobalt motioned for him to join. "Nice meeting you..." "Ben." "...Ben. I'm Riley. I'll probably see you around again." Riley smiled and joined Cobalt.

"I'm so glad you're here." Riley squeezed Cobalt's shoulder, maintaining his smile. Cobalt was one of the few men Riley was actually comfortable with at the party and was quite glad the younger man was around. "This is my supposed second date with Stephen but I don't know how to be around someone who's drunk...as you well remember...Poker night, exactly." Riley and Cobalt shuddered at the memory of that night. "I mean why drink in the first place? I thought we were here to support a charity but...oh my God I haven't even asked you how things are with Elaine."

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt caught the glance Josh cast between himself and Sean and felt a little guilty; he’d obviously not expressed his dislike of Sean to Josh, knowing that would needlessly upset him. As strange as the idea may be to some people, Cobalt did have tact. There were simply times when he chose not to employ it. So, he tried again, “Hope your evening’s been going well so far, Sean.” Cobalt said to the telepath, “Sorry, I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.” He gestured between Sean and Josh.

At Josh’s response, Cobalt nodded, “That’s good, I’m glad.” He wanted to ask more regarding his friend’s general health, but he figured that wouldn’t be appreciated here. So he chose a different topic: “You’ll be glad to know that your rabbit’s doing fine. She’s very friendly.” He’d been more than a little nervous, having to care for Josh’s pet. Cobalt had never had the occasion for a pet, and so he was quite worried that he would do something terrible and hurt the rabbit somehow. Turns out, checking in on a rabbit wasn’t too daunting a task. That and it was damn cute. Not that he’d ever admit that.

He let Josh and Elaine get acquainted and turned his attention away from the bar and around the room. The party really was in full swing and frankly, Cobalt was shocked he had gotten this far without any social blunders so far. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a tall, familiar-looking man walking away from the other side of the bar. Riley. Cobalt was pleasantly surprised to see him here; this didn’t seem like a place where the shy man would feel very comfortable. Maybe he came with someone? Cobalt watched him talk to another, younger looking man. Maybe Riley came with him? Once he caught the taller man’s eye, Cobalt raised a hand in greeting, inviting him to join them. But when Riley came over, the other man stayed behind. Okay, maybe not.

Cobalt returned Riley’s smile with a grin of his own, “Yeah, it’s good to see you here too. Did you come with someone or..?” Cobalt’s eyebrows shot up as Riley explained he was with Stephen. And on a second date too? Interesting. “Stephen Gage? The Hammel recruiter? That’s good.” Cobalt was glad the taller man was finding happiness; Cobalt rather liked Riley, he was a good friend.

Cobalt winced sympathetically at Riley’s plight, “Ah. Yeah… Poker night.” He matched Riley’s awkward face, “Well, you know…” Cobalt shrugged, not really sure what advice to give, but wanting to make Riley feel better somehow, “Yeah, he’ll probably make a fool of himself tonight, feel a little silly, and then you guys can work something out about this kind of thing later, I suppose.” That sounded like sound advice to Cobalt. Communication was best, right? There was irony in that thought, but Cobalt ignored it.

He blinked in surprise at Riley’s question. “Uh… Elaine is… fine?” He wasn’t sure why the other man was asking. How were things with Elaine? “As fine as things… ever are?” Cobalt raised an eyebrow questioningly; if Riley’s line of thought was what Cobalt thought Riley’s line of thought was, then Cobalt would be having the same conversation as he had when he was sixteen. For some reason, people always assumed he and Elaine were together in some fashion. Which was ridiculous for a variety of reasons. Cobalt decided to be sure, “Why do you ask?”

[Dr. Sean Neville]

After the hospital visit, Sean had been prepared to let what had happened in the van – and in the E.R. – go; both he and Cobalt had been under intense emotional stress, and although he was never proud of arguments, he also didn’t let them consume him in the aftermath. Then he’d run into Cobalt elsewhere and had tried to formally bury the hatchet. His work was done, and it was up to the other man to either be mature and try to get to know him sincerely, or to hold a grudge forever; the telepath didn’t care either way because life was too short to get bogged down in negativity. He had enough of that from his sister. The fact that Cobalt had decided to take this to his gave was the other man’s loss.

However, he’d been distracted by Shane’s outburst when Cobalt had arrived, causing him to miss his introduction. Turning around, he gave him a far more genuine smile than the one with which he’d been greeted, and he replied, “Quite well, thank you. And how are you this evening? Care for a drink?” He had the cash to burn, since he wouldn’t be drinking himself tonight.

The telepath then gave Elaine a smile, recognizing her through Morgan. “Lovely to see you again, Elaine. My offer for drinks extends to you too, of course.”

The telepath then leaned over to whisper in Josh’s ear, a joke about the music situation since his friend seemed to have some difficulty in that department. Then again, neither of their preferred genres lent themselves to dancing, so it was understandable. “We could always go for broke and ask for the Village People.” Then he sensed a more familiar mental presence –rather one he’d met many times over decades and like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he straightened and stepped slightly back from his friend. He brushed Josh’s mind. Your mother’s here; I just want to warn you. Turning his head briefly, Sean looked around for her and found her talking to...Midori of all people. He wouldn’t ask.

Riley had joined their little group in that time, and he smiled at him and gave a nod of greeting. Riley had been kind enough to bring a pie over for Josh after hearing about his “illness,” and the two of them had gotten to talking. Then he’d learned that Stephen had gone out on a date with him, which was all the better; Sean thought Stephen was a fairly good judge of character, and it was always nice to see someone out there looking for romance. Particularly as he couldn’t remember the last time he had...

Waking up in bed with Josh after the poker party didn’t count, because he didn’t remember anything about it, and they were pretending that it hadn’t happened. As usual.

[Midori Hawkins]

The young recruiter was quite happy to be settled quietly by the bar. Though she knew a great deal of the people here, she wasn’t exactly eager to go and socialize at the moment. She would, just not now. Instead, she was people watching. She knew so many of the party-goers. Dr. Nevil – Sean, Clarisse, in a group of people she didn’t know. Willow, she was certain she’d seen somewhere. Thankfully, she hadn’t seen Darryl yet. She had, however, seen Eli make his appearance. She could see him talking to his... date? The woman from security, the new one. Mii smiled to herself and swished the ice around her drink with a straw. He was going to hear about that, later. For now, she could leave him alone.

Now that the party seemed to be in full swing, it was easy to see why people had been saying it was such a big event. It really did look like the entire town’s population was in the room. Though she wasn’t very fond of crowds, Mii figured she could cope with it for one night. It was nice to do something like this. It seemed to bring the town together, which was nice to see this time of year.

She was considering making her way over to at least say hello to Clarisse and Sean when a small, older woman appeared. Mii was positive she’d never seen her before in her life, and for one moment, she held out hope that she would realize Mii wasn’t who she was looking for, and she’d go awa –

Nope. Not going to happen.

She had no idea what the woman was talking about. All she got was that the woman had somehow mistaken her for her son, and she was of the overbearing type. And Mii had no idea how to politely tell her that she had the wrong person. It didn’t help that every time she attempted to tell her otherwise, she would go off again. It was only when she started to cough that the words stopped coming. But it only caused Mii to worry. “Are you all right?” Yes, checking on the woman’s welfare was more important than telling her she wasn’t her son. Once she caught her breath, Mii managed a weak smile at her. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m not... Joshua?” For one, she wasn’t male. “But I can try to help you find him?” Yes, that was clever. Offer to help her find someone she didn’t know.

[Clarisse Prideaux]

Clarisse had met her fair share of charmers. Some of them were earnest, and tried their best, much to Clarisse’s amusement. They tried to hard. Others tried and fooled her and turned out to be dogs (read: Darryl). But Jake seemed different. The grace with which he spoke French and the easy way words that were normally construed as too formal rolled off his tongue proved to Clarisse that he was just naturally charming. Which made him almost as intimidating as it made him attractive.

She definitely didn’t want a repeat of the Darryl incident.

” Besides, I’ve a bit of a talent for both languages and music.”

At least he had something to be proud of. She tilted her head to one side. “Music?” She repeated. “What kind?” It seemed like a strange question, but it was the shortest way to ask if Dalton sang, composed, played an instrument, or all of the above. Clarisse’s experiences with music came solely from dancing, so she was always curious of those with a talent for producing music.

“Careful, my lady: speak my name that way too often, my legs shall turn to rubber.”

Clarisse turned absolutely pink, and turned her head to look at the floor. “Mr. Dalton, you certainly know how to make a lady blush.” She murmured, barely audible above the music. She wasn’t embarrassed that he was doting (for lack of a better word), but just by the fact that he was so…romantic! It was hard to find anyone like that anymore.

“Indeed I do: I checked mine as I came in.”

Relieved, she smiled back at him. “Wonderful.” She sighed, shifting her grip on the coat and looking over the bar. “I’d love to share a drink with you.” Looking back to him, her smile widened. “But I’d much prefer a dance first. If you would.”


"I'm Joshua Bernstein but you can call me Josh. It's a pleasure to meet you. Ahhh. I don't know if you've met Doctors Prideaux and Neville?"

Rarely did Clarisse shun an introduction, but she had trouble hearing over the music, and Dalton was already leading her toward the coat check by the time Joshua mentioned her name. Had she heard Josh’s introduction she would have stopped to shake hands, but as it was, she missed it. Perhaps the evening would present her another opportunity to meet her co-worker’s mother.

On the way to the coat check, she passed Riley, who she recognized from the poker night. She waved delicately at him, careful not to interrupt his conversation with a man she didn’t recognize.

[Darryl Bond]

He didn't like a lot of things about how today had been going. The weather was super cold. The drama club was just full of drama and hardly working (together). Everywhere he looked, egos were fighting egos and lets not mention his personal life. That was just....bad.

So he really hadn't wanted to go to the Bash, but he'd always wanted to go, ever since he knew about as a student. It was also his first year back in Pilot Ridge. In a moment of actually having a backbone, he got dressed, styled his goatee and mustache and fixed his general appearance. (he had thought about changing his entire face for the evening of actually enjoying it, but the pain he would be in tomorrow was just not worth it in the end). So he was finally ready to go.

He still had no mode of transport other than his own two feet, so he bundled up in a dark pea coat and matching dark scarf. His outfit for the evening was an all black tuxedo. Why did he have one around? He wasn't terribly sure. He walked quickly from his house to the Bash and once he arrived, he finally realized how pretty late for the whole thing he was. He had this horrible scene play through his head:

He opens the doors and steps inside, which brings in a wave of cold air from outside, this gust of air turns heads. The music stops. Clarisse or Midori, or both, would then approach him and beat him in the doorway with things they had picked up (his mind provided microphone stands). And instead of some kindly fellow or lady helping him, they would all just circle around the two angered women and laugh at him.

His hand was frozen over the door knob. His imagination was active tonight, that might be thanks to the few pre-party shots he had before he left the house. With one last gulp he opened the door and stepped inside. The music swarmed his head and cast away several of the self conscious thoughts he was having. His wandering eyes discovered the coat check and he left his coat, and scarf with them. The black fedora on his head would remain, only to help aid his want to blend in with the crowd. He really wasn't even sure if either of the ladies would be here tonight.

He knew he had to tell Clarisse about Midori, but he was positive she'd just take it that he had cheated on her. When honestly the thing between him and Midori was over before the two of them had gone on their first day. However, given his knowledge of women and his basic understanding of how their mind worked, that was just a small little technicality. She'd rip his arms off. He just knew it.

He moved like a snake through the grass in the crowd and landed at the bar before he even started looking around. An audible gasp--which was quickly choked off--could be heard when he spotted Clarisse just a few people down the bar, surrounded by men. To that, he was not surprised. He was sad that he wasn't one of those lucky people. He turned back to the bar and bent down, his back to them, and ordered himself a drink. He needed to find a new hiding spot. Fast.

[Yulia Sokolov]

At least one thing Yulia was good at was running in heels, not that she could really run at all to begin with. At least she got to see the houses all lit up and decorated on her way there, or that was what she was telling herself. She wasn’t all that pleased right now so as she half jogged she pulled a pack out of her coat pocket along with a lighter. She popped a cigarette out and lit up as she speed walked the distance that she had to go. It only took her a few minutes but she was slightly irked all the same.

Yulia had heard Ben come home, get ready, and leave. Usually that would be fine, there was just one problem this time. He had forgotten her. She couldn’t be too angry with him though. After all her entire outfit tonight was from him. She had come home to find the red dress hanging there.

Yulia hadn’t owned many dresses, they were pretty impractical for the Siberia where she had grown up and lived for years. All the same she liked this dress, it was comfortable. She had dealt wither own hair though, pulling it half back. She half wished she had left it down to keep her ears a little warmer. Still that was her fault, she knew how to prepare for the weather and she failed to do so.

Yulia made it to the party quickly enough, though she felt anxiety at having to walk in there all by herself. She didn’t know most of these people after all, she was new to Pilot Ridge. She checked her coat and looked around. It didn’t take her long to find Ben. She expected to find him near the bar and that was exactly where he was. She walked pointedly over to him and crossed her arms.

“You forgot something at the house.”

[Stephen Gage]

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Or so said the song on Stephen's mind. "Winter" itself would scarcely ever be put in the same sentence as "wonderful" so long as the recruiter was the one speaking. But he, like many others, had a guilty pleasure in Christmas songs and spent the better part of December with one on his lips. This night, this party (which was arguably his most enjoyed part of winter, if such a season could be enjoyed) was no exception, and Stephen spent the brief moments in which his mouth was closed by humming that song to himself. He was content, in fairness, and though most of his chipper attitude came from his genuine enjoyment of other people and conversation, it would be dishonest to say that he did not derive some small dose of sunshine from the alcohol in his system.

Stephen liked the drink. Not in such a manner that it might inspire a movie on one of those channels for women, but enough to give the man justification for imbibing. It had begun at his later years at Hammel as a student, largely as a social thing. It then developed into a wonderful way to take his mind off of his loathsome ability, and then simply as a minor habit. If it was possible, the recruiter would have small drinks throughout the day, rather typically with his tea. Tea with creme liqueur? Delicious. And so, roughly 17 years after drink first passed his lips, Stephen had built up a bit of a tolerance.

Which is why he didn't quite understand why Riley was being such a spoilsport about it. His date was as adorable as ever (and even seemed to have gained some testicular fortitude since their first date), but this whole straight-edge thing was already beginning to wear Stephen's nerves thin. The recruiter's third drink had only scarcely passed his lips when Riley had politely tut-tutted about it. Sure, Riley had been kind and quiet and gentle about it, but Stephen scarcely enjoyed being told to put a stop to something so well-practiced. And he tended to get a little snarky once he started feeling the effects.

So he might've wavered a bit in his posture, stood a shade more loosely than usual, and offered up a little barbed quip in response to Riley's gentle suggestion. The grin that he wore as he delivered what he thought was a clever jibe disintegrated into a mildly worried, regretful look of apology once his date sauntered off. Christ, he hadn't meant to offend the guy. Stephen was just... more sarcastic while in the drink. Though he did not follow his man, preferring instead to give him proper space, Stephen made a slight concession: he drank slower. He still sipped at his glass, to be sure, but they were farther between. He wouldn't want to scare off the closest thing to a boyfriend he'd had in months. Especially not after he'd apparently dragged the Riley-turtle kicking and screaming out of its shell. Well, not kicking, really. Kissing. And not screaming. If Stephen remembered correctly, it was more of a moan.

The conversation at his table had just died down, and never one to be comfortable with silence, Stephen had simply stood up and carried off in search of another. And when that failed to yield any results within an acceptable time frame (read: three seconds) he took off for more familiar territory: the bar. Every bar was alike, and thus a traveler could well be home anywhere in the world so long as there was a horizontal service upon which alcohol was served. And there was one such thing here, the man behind it and Stephen already well-acquainted. He raised his drink in toast to this most wonderful man who supplied him with drink, and leaned against the bar, taking the brief moment to glance at the man next to whom he'd sidled up.

And holy hell, a familiar face. Only somewhat, though. Darryl Bond, if Stephen's slightly addled memory was correct. Drama teacher, Hammel faculty. Christ, how long had it been since they last met? No matter: Stephen greeted him jovially anyway. Tis the season. "Darryl!" he cried, clapping his hand on the man's shoulder. "It's been ages! Glad to see you here. Drink?"

Waiting for answers was so three drinks ago. Stephen turned to Miguel, the lovely chap behind the bar, and raised one finger into the air. "Scotch on the rocks, Miguel!" Stephen's finger wilted slightly, as he cast a brief, curious glance at Darryl. Right. He called out to Miguel once more, having remembered that not all people shared his appreciation of alcohol. "Maybe with a bit of a mixer!"

[Landom Jackson]

Landom was pretty sure the only reason he was actually here was because the rest of the staff was here. But then, it wasn't like he really had much else to do. Winter meetings in Orlando were over, meaning he couldn't watch this, there was nothing to follow in the news that he cared about, so he was here. He got out of his car and adjusted his tie. This was a formal event after all. So he was wearing a nice white button up shirt, with nice black pants, a solid red tie, almost the color of blood, and a black dress jacket. He hadn't shaved, so his beard was prominent on his face. He slipped the guy at the door a 20 and his ID, and he got his ID back and was welcomed into the party. His eyes immediately spotted the bar and he made his way to the bar and ordered a cold beer. It might be a formal gathering, but beer was his choice of liquor. He didn't plan on stopping now. He paid the guy and tipped him a couple of bucks. He leaned against the bar and took a sip of his beer and started people watching. Wasn't that the whole purpose of fancy gatherings like this? Well, he thought it was, and until proven otherwise, he was going to hang back at this bar and enjoy his drink. He was perfectly content to stay right here, but of course, if someone chose to come and talk to him, he wouldn't turn down the conversation. Landom was a social creature by nature, and so socializing was something he enjoyed. He also, however, was content to, right now, watch other people get wasted and make fools of themselves. That would easily be the most enjoyable part of his evening.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Ben's eyes roamed the halls once more, the party having admitted even more guests since his arrival. He couldn't help but hold his gaze at two men who were wearing fedoras, something he hadn't seen in awhile to be honest. In his opinion, they were classy and underrepresented. Just because they were living in the 21st century, didn't mean style should fade away like that.

Having not talked to anyone besides that Riley guy [who rushed off into the arms of another guy Ben had never seen before but made a mental note to befriend him somehow if he actually knew Sean and Josh], Ben was getting a bit bored. And although his parents have been waving at him to join, Ben wasn't going to join them because he knew exactly what his parents want him for. He truly loved them and how they've accepted his orientation but having to endure their choices of 'suitable mates', as his brother Artie jokingly called them, was not how Ben wanted to spend this night.

So by his fourth gin and tonic, Ben was ready to leave when his eyes stopped at the door to find Yulia dressed in the red dress he had bought for her specifically for tonight. He could have sworn there were men who literally turned their heads as she walked across the room to him, her look of discontent letting Ben know exactly why she had adopted it in the first place. He had in fact left her at home to go to the party.

/"You forgot something at the house."/

He was half tempted to grin and tease, asking her what but he knew better. Giving her a sheepish smile, Ben patted on the stool beside him and jerked his head slightly to get her to sit. "You look beautiful, Lia." Ben leaned forward and placed his hand on her hips before pressing his lips on her cheek. "I'm sorry, I should have checked if you were going or not. But really, I'm glad everything fits. You look spectacular."

[Joshua Bernstein]

Josh was grateful to Cobalt for agreeing to check in on Mopsy; he knew his friend was going out of his way to care for the rabbit for him, but he hadn't really gotten to know any of his neighbors well enough to ask any of them and he knew his friend was responsible enough to make sure Mopsy had food and water and a relatively clean cage...and company. He really did feel bad leaving her alone for an extended absence. "Good. She's not tried to chew up any wires on you, then?"

That was the one danger when it came to letting her out of her cage; she loved to be petted but the moment she was out of eyesight she went straight for wires.

He gave Riley a hello wave and a smile before the taller man became wrapped up in conversation with Cobalt. The landscaper was friendly and thoughtful and therefore, although Josh still felt a bit bad for him to be stuck doing menial labor, he was definitely on the way to becoming friends rather than friendly acquaintances. The fact that he baked a mean pie and was excellent at making cheese dip and was willing to share may have helped with this.

"I'll second The Village People so long as you and Clarisse dance to YMCA...." He began, but by that point the younger woman had already glided after Dalton. "Or not. Looks like you get out of dancing for tonight unless your date comes back." Or unless the tall young woman Sean had been chatting with earlier had been asking for dancing privileges. He didn't see her now, but perhaps she preferred to stay away from the bar.

The mental announcement that his mother was in attendance saw him suddenly very interested in his drink. She'd said she wasn't going to come, because she didn't want to leave his father by himself all night, but apparently she had changed her mind. He didn't want to see her tonight, not because he didn't love his mother or care for her company, but because he knew she would fuss over him worse than anyone else had, and attempts to redirect her attention to other subjects were rarely successful. For a brief moment hope flickered in his mind that she wouldn't see him, surrounded as he was and slouched over the bar, but then he remembered that she knew both Sean and Riley, both of whom were very difficult to miss by virtue of their heights. Even as poor as her eyesight was she could distinguish height, and there were few other men as tall as either of his friends.

Thank you for the warning. I hope everyone's cars are still intact.

[Leila Gold]

Leila nodded politely to Savvy's comment. "Yeah, I guess white's a nice color. I like--"

She stopped mid-sentence when the strangely-dressed woman stood and bowed, asking Leila to a dance. She stared up at the woman with wide eyes. What was she actually saying here? Did she think...oh dear.

In hindsight, Leila thought, I should have realized she liked me with the winks. I guess I just thought she was kidding or something, but no... And now she had to figure out how to make sure the woman got the message that Leila was not interested.

But before she could say anything she was whisked onto the dance floor. Now, this was not the first time Leila had danced with a woman. This was, however, the first time she had danced with a strange woman, someone not already her friend.

"Um..." she said quietly as she took Savvy's hand. She rested her hand awkwardly on the taller woman's shoulder. "Uh, I like...I like yellow...it's bright and...I'm sorry, I'm not a very good dancer." She stood awkwardly and shuffled her feet back and forth. Not only was she in a strange situation, but Leila had never been that good of a dancer. And yes, she was a nice enough person that she didn't want to just break away.

"Um, I just want you to know, I'm not...you know...I mean I'm sure you're nice and everything, but I don't...." Leila glanced around the room. Her boss wasn't looking. With luck he wouldn't see this and be able to comment on it. Leila sighed inwardly and turned back to Savvy. "I...I work as a lawyer in town. What do you do?"

[Riley Adams]

A blush made its way across his face when he saw the surprise on Cobalt's face at the mention of Riley's date. He was appreciative at the sympathetic wince Cobalt adopted at Riley's distress. Cobalt's form of advice didn't reassure Riley entirely but it was better than nothing, the landscaper thought. At least he was trying to be rational for Riley, which was something the older man wasn't exactly being.

"I'm fine." Riley turned when he heard Josh try to convince everyone of his health. Riley had visited him earlier in the week and though he had been chatty as always, Riley knew he wasn't altogether fine. But he was glad to see Josh out and about. He threw the bespectacled lawyer a sympathetic grin before turning to Sean who gave him a smile and a nod in greetin to which he returned. The two had somewhat bonded the day Riley brought Josh and Sean pies after finding out Josh was not feeling all too well.

He had been a bit apprehensive when he found that Josh was staying with Sean but he finally decided to man up and go anyway, disregarding his feelings for Josh and his slight reverance of Sean. Knowing something was wrong, something worse than the common cold, Riley didn't actually pester Josh or even Sean for more details about it. He didn't have to know anyway. Then Sean and Riley had ended up talking for a bit after Josh retired into his room for a well-deserved nap.

Riley left the apartment feeling just a little bit more in awe of the psychiatrist and still with the feelings he had intially felt for Josh but just a little less now that his senses finally kicked in to tell him that Josh and Sean have in fact been...intimate. How true that was, he wasn't sure but it was enough for him to reign in his feelings for the lawyer. At least so Sean doesn't know anyway.

When Cobalt looked a little like a fish out of water when asked about Elaine, Riley frowned slightly. Did they not come together? And they danced for a bit and Riley thought they looked pretty happy in each other's company. He hadn't managed to say hello to Elaine so they hadn't asked the how do you dos yet. The "Why do you ask?" from Cobalt made Riley question his initial assumption of them both being romantically involved.

Of course, the possibility that Cobalt might be embarrassed that Riley was even asking did occur to the landscaper but it also already threw doubts in Riley's mind of their relationship. Could they just be friends? He was amazingly close to Rina and she had a beefy soldier boyfriend so maybe that was what he was sensing from Elaine and Cobalt? Minus the beefy soldier boyfriend, naturally.

Riley gave Cobalt a sheepish grin, habitually bringing his hand up to the back of his head. "Haven't spoken to her since I went to get supplies from her." It was a good save and as he remembered something else, a nother blush crept up his face. "And I kind of have her to thank for Steph-" he was cut short as his eyes roamed to where Stephen had gone. He was a bit a ways away from where Riley was standing but the landscaper could see his younger companion drinking happily with another guy. Like the stately gentleman making advances on Clarisse [and getting quick results, he might add], the man sitting with Stephen was also wearing a fedora. What was with that?

Adjusting his collar a bit, suddenly feeling a bit warm, Riley's concentration on Cobalt waned a little. Alright, don't overreact. Might just be an acquaintance. Relax, it's just your second date. Don't need to get all huffy. Trying to relax a little, Riley looked down at his hot chocolate and took a big gulp from it. He turned to Cobalt with a little too eager a grin. "So...having fun?" He asked Cobalt but keeping an eye on the pair, one of which was supposed to be his date.

His glances had him spy Mrs. Bernstein speaking to an attractive young lady with a slight bump on her. Pregnant? She did have a glow about her. But at the moment, there was a little frown of confusion on her face that could only mean that Charlie probably mistook her for someone else. The younger lady didn't exactly look hostile but she didn't seem like she was familiar with the senior lady. Riley gave Cobalt a distracted grin. "Cobalt, could you excuse me? Josh's mom is...lost I think."

With that, Riley walked over to where Mrs. Bernstein was standing, hearing the last few words she had uttered to the younger woman and holding back his laughter. "Mrs. Bernstein?" He placed a gentle hand on the old lady's shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "Josh is over there..." Riley directed his friend's mother to where Josh was still surrounded by people. He turned to the girl and smiled. Once he was sure the lady was safe with her son, Riley once again turned to the younger woman.

"You can't just sit there in that dress and not dance at least..." Riley held a hand out to the younger man with a soft smile. "Dance with me?" Corny but the simplest way. At least she could turn him down and he wouldn't mind.

[Elaine Tonaya]

Elaine smiled at Cobalt as they finished the dance. "Yes, you did very nicely. I'm glad the boy has to do all the work in dancing, since I can't remember anything about my old dance classes."

They walked over to a large crowd of people. Elaine recognized a few of them from around town and from school. She smiled at them. "Nice to meet you Josh," she said, holding out her hand to shake. She pulled back her hand and rubbed at her right eye for a moment, which was feeling a bit sore.

"Yes, I do know Sean. We went to school together for a very short period of time, but it was enough to remember the name. Plus, of course, my son works with him. Though you don't come down to the shop enou--uh...ah...ACHOO!" She let out a huge sneeze which she only just managed to cover in her elbow. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I just...I...ACHOO!" She sneezed again, then sniffed and looked up blearily. "Oh, yes. As I was saying. Yes, I know Sean, but I don't believe I had met Dr. Prideaux before. I just...I...oh dear."

She took a step away from the whole group and took a deep breath of the clean air. She took another breath, then stepped in again. "I apologize, but it appears that...this is embarrassing. Um. I'm afraid I'm ah...ah...ACHOO! I'm allergic. To you. One of you. I'm sorry." She winced and shot a glance around. "Sorry, Sean, I guess I'll have to turn down the drink. Heh."

She took another deep breath, trying to turn away to get clean air. "Perhaps I can talk to more of you later? Riley, I would love to speak to you again, and Josh, it would be grea...gray...I'b so sobby..." She rummaged in her purse and pulled out a kleenex, then stepped away to blow her nose.

"Cobalt," she said once she'd gotten over sniffing, "I'm so sorry, but I think...I think I'm..." It was hard to say, but she should probably just get over it. "I'm allergic. To Josh."

[Mary Savage]

Savage awkwardly got into the swing of the music. She had never really been graceful, and was much better at moshing and thrash-dancing (you know, where you look like you're having an extremely violent standing seizure?) than actual dancing. She could also do a mean skank, but it wasn't likely they were going to be playing any ska here. She gave Leila an arched eyebrow when she said she couldn't dance. "Honestly, hon, I think you're doing better than me. You've at least got some natural grace, way more than I can say for myself." She said that last part with laughter in her voice, trying to sound both nonchalant and sincere at the same time. She was attempting to be suave, but was most likely falling way short. She spun Leila slowly through the crowd, miraculously not stepping on anybody, subconsciously heading toward the bar. A barfly is a barfly no matter the situation.

Savvy couldn't help but smile at Leila's attempt to tell her she wasn't gay. It was kind of cute how awkward she was about it, which made Savage just a little bit sadder that Leila didn't swing that way. She pulled Leila close as the song was ending and ran her hand down the middle of her back. Savvy whispered softly in her ear, "Aw... You don't do girls? Too bad. Would've been fun." She pulled back and gave her a puppy face, though with Savvy's sense of style it probably looked far more comical than sad. She disentangled herself after the song ended and looped elbows with Leila in a very innocent school-girl kind of way. She noticed her boiler-repairing friend from earlier in the week standing at the bar looking just as awkward as her current victim. She figured she should say hi, seeing as he was the only person she'd really gotten to know in the entire town.

She answered Leila's question as she lead her to the bar, "Lawyer, huh? Sounds, ah, interesting." Academics had never really been Savvy's thing, she was much better with hands-on projects. "I do maintenance at Hammel. I am Queen of the Monkey Wrench." As she said this she brought the arm that wasn't looped with Leila's up and flexed it, showing a surprisingly amount of muscle and distorting her tattoo. This was one of her first ones, and she kept it covered at work as it was a skull and cross bones that said "fuck off" around it. Yeah, she obviously didn't think that one through very well.

She walked up to the gaggle of people, pushed her way through to where her friend was standing, and slapped Shane on the back. "Hey, Leila, this is Shane, he's a new buddy of mine. Shane, meet Leila. Unfortunately, Leila doesn't swing on the girls team." She gave Shane a sad face, which probably looked just as ridiculous as the first one. No one with that much makeup on should ever try to look pathetic. Fortunately for Savvy, she really had no idea how much she was probably embarrassing the two people she was introducing. 1) She was loud, and 2) she had just loudly announced Leila's lack of lesbianism to the entire bar. At least she was planning on buying them drinks.