A Good Day - Riley Open Tag

[Riley Adams]

Riley had come over to the site pretty early just to set things up. The majority of his pies were for the Pie Eating contest but some of them were for sale so he had to divide them up accordingly. He waited for Anya to arrive so they could start things off. In the meantime, Riley just roamed around the place Josh, Sean and Ben had worked pretty hard on planning the last few weeks.

Everything seemed to be going according to plan, as far as Riley could see and hopefully Riley would be able to enjoy the day with his boyfriend in the intervals that the contest he and the petite Russian woman hosted had. But for now, he was pretty content in overseeing that everything else was in place. He waved and gave a cheesy thumbs up to Josh when he passed the other man.

It was still a little early to gage the success of the event obviously but at least the food was getting snapped up pretty fast and Ben was acting the gracious host as always. His brothers and cousin had come out to support the event and Riley could see a few of the kids running around Ben asking him to follow them to the bouncy castle.

Ben waved him over and introduced him to his family. One of the little girls tugged at Riley's shirt. "Yes honey?" Riley grinned down at her. "My daddy's busy, do you mind takin' me to the bouncy bounce? All my friends are there and I don't wanna miss 'em or anythin'." Riley looked up at Ben who pointed to the man who looked exactly like him; Artie, if Riley remembered correctly.

"Is it okay if I..." Riley's voice trailed and before he could finish his sentence, two other kids, a little older than the girl, bounded up to Riley, all pleading to their dads, complete with puppy dog eyes and clasped hands. The landscape artist chuckled at the display

"Okay! Okay, you can go. You report back here in half an hour okay?" Artie gave his children a smile before giving Riley a big grin, clamping a big hand over his shoulder. The man was as tall as him, surprised as Riley was. "Thanks, Riley." He grinned and off he went, dragged off by the kids.

At the bouncy castle; or the bouncy bounce as Artie's daughter had called it, Riley made sure the kids knew where their shoes were before he let them go in. Stepping away from the inflated castle, Riley accidentally bumped into another person. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

[Anya Vasiliev]

Anya had volunteered for the bouncy castle simply because she knew she could handle any dangerous pyromancers (Sammy) or gothboys with magically dropping leather pants (Vincent). She'd been delighted to see so many eager young children, and had enjoyed helping them take their shoes off to jump up and down on the brightly coloured red and yellow castle. A few little boys had banged their heads and she'd scooped them up maternally, sitting them down outside and giving them a little sip of water.

When Riley came over with another gaggle of kids, she stood up to meet him, beaming brightly. Unfortunately, the man was so preoccupied that he bumped into her, and she staggered back, laughing.

"It's fine!" She said brightly, bending down to eye the little girls. "Go and put your shoes at the side and hop on. But BE careful!" Rising back up, she beckoned Riley over to her little seated area, pushing a chair out for her friend. "We've had an accident already, two boys decided to bump heads and have a headache." Anya tutted lightly, then sipped on her lemonade she'd grabbed from the refreshment stand earlier.

"No sign of trouble yet." She added, giving the grounds a concerned sweep. If she even spotted Sammy on the horizon she'd block him. There was no way the tiny children in the bouncy castle could handle that bundle of terror hurling fireballs and whooping loudly. "Thanks for letting me help with the pies, Riley. You gave me some great recipes." Anya said warmly, putting a small hand on the man's arm, then settling back and letting the sounds of children laughing take her cares away.

In the distance, she noticed a figure she recognised and waved them over, nudging Riley playfully. "We need to find you someone." She whispered, waiting for the figure to come over. "Fancy helping me organise this speed dating event I've applied to do at the town hall?"

[Riley Adams]

When he found that it was Anya he had bumped into, Riley winced a little when she staggered back. Anya simply waved it off with a smile and the landscaper felt a little better. Her forewarning to the kids was met with Riley's smile and when they catapulted into the inflated castle, the man turned to his pie-making cohort and followed her to where she had parked herself. "Ouch," Riley winced at her tale before sitting on the chair she had pulled out for him, thanking her.

As the petite Russian brunette scanned the grounds, Riley relaxed into his chair before turning to Anya as she thanked him. "It was my pleasure, Anya. I was more than happy to have you around. Baking with someone with the same passion as you is fantastic." Riley admitted happily. "And I tried the goat cheese tartlet recipe you gave me. It tasted superb."

Like Anya, it was easy for Riley to get lost in the children's laughter. He tried not to think too much about the adoption idea brewing in his head. When he was nudged, Riley instantly blushed when Anya suggested he find someone. "I...um, no." He smiled embarrassedly. "I am with someone. He was supposed to meet me here later." He looked over to the person Anya was waving over, not recognising them off the bat.

"Organise? I can certainly try. What exactly do you need help with?" he asked, interested in the prospect of doing something outside of work.

[Stephen Gage]

The cold winter months often instilled in Stephen a bit of regret for choosing to stay in Vermont. He loved Hammel, of course, and did so dearly. But the winters were just so very, very cold. How many mornings this past few months had Stephen run about the town swaddled in his heavy coat? Too many for his liking.

But once the warmer months came around, any such regrets burned away in the sun. The recruiter had been out of Vermont and across the country for the past few months, flying every which way he thought possible to best recruit from a generation of powered kids who seemed to be popping up like daisies. He'd just get one of them on a plane and get a call about another, more in-need case and hop on a plane to send them to the place that had become his own home. It was rewarding work, of course. He'd scarcely be doing it were it not. But months of hotels and airplanes wore against a man's mind. Pilot Ridge was his home, even moreso now that he had someone else's warm bed to sleep in.

And he had. Well, not at first. At first, neither he nor Riley did much sleeping. But after that, he'd sleep quite well, far more deeply than he had on the empty beds of whatever hotels he'd shacked up in. He'd arrived back in Hammel not long ago, and the warm sun and colored sky were welcome departures from the cold and grey clouds he'd left behind when he initially left on his journey. His heavy coat had been hung up for the season, and Stephen traipsed onto the fairgrounds in a very casual t-shirt and jeans, sunglasses shielding his eyes from the sun and, hopefully, other people from seeing whatever bags might have formed under his eyes as he'd traveled. In homage to the good weather, he'd even traded out his traditional mug of hot tea. For a mug of iced tea. One can only ask so much of the man.

The lake shone beneath the sky, in some parts smooth enough to be a reflection of the clouds themselves. Stephen made a mental note to spend one of his free days out here, lying on the grass. He'd probably nap, were he to do that. Or he cold bring Riley, get him to make some of those pies. They could have themselves a bit of a picnic. Any excuse to have the pies.

On that note, where was Riley? They were meant to meet at the fair at some point during the day, and Stephen had never bothered to actually ask where. Just in the corner of his vision, a woman waved. Not to him, but enough to gain his attention. She was a brown-haired woman, standing next to a tall, older man. Stephen's tall, older man. A mischievous grin flashed across the recruiter's features as a plan formed. Riley might have a heart attack. But hey, it'd keep the blood flowing. Stephen wold be giving him another year on his life.

It was a difficult task, sneaking across the fair without being seen by somebody who was intimately familiar with his face. And a bit more. But Stephen was fairly certain he'd succeeded. Well, more hopeful than certain. His tea sloshed around, the ice cubes bumping quietly against the sides of the mug and each other. He sneaked around the bouncy castle, tip-toing as best he could. Stephen rarely got any practice in the matter. Riley had sat down, his back to the recruiter. Perfect. Stephen crept forward, sliding his head forward and placing his just near the older man's ear. He smiled. "Boo."

[Anya Vasiliev]

Anya's smile only brightened when Riley stuttered his secret, and she gave the man's arm a gentle squeeze, chuckling. "Well, you'll have to tell me more next time we bake together." She said softly, pulling her hair back from her face and looking over at the children cautiously, shouting for them to be careful as one little girl nearly fell on top of another.

"I'm so glad you liked that recipe. I was thinking we could compile a recipe filofax and swap them every now and then. I've got tons of ideas." She beamed, sipping her lemonade and leaning to give a set of shoes back to one of the boys. The russian couldn't stop the smile on her face despite the previous discussions at Sean's house. Every time she heard a child laughing, the horrible thoughts of MSAD knocked from her head again.

When Riley mentioned that he'd help, Anya laughed. "Well, I'm organising speed dating for the young teens, older teens and twenties and thirty pluses. It'd be great if you could help me moderate the teen ones. I doubt the adults will be quite as frisky as the hormone ridden kids, but we'll see." She chuckled, then suddenly felt a presence behind her, nearly leaping out of her skin when Stephen spoke.

"Stephen!" She said brightly, putting one delicate hand on her heart. "Are you trying to kill me?" It was a gentle tease, and she nudged Riley with a playful wink. "Was this the mystery man you spoke of earlier?" She grinned, finishing her lemonade. "Pull up a seat, we're just watching the children." Anya said warmly, dragging over another plastic chair for the newcomer to sit on.

[Riley Adams]

Riley gave the younger woman a smile. Wasn't she a darling? He thought to himself affectionately. "There's...really nothing to tell." He said in a quiet tone. Truthfully, had this all happened maybe thirty years ago, Riley would have probably jumped at the chance to spill his guts. Had it been that long since...? The landscape artist blocked the thoughts of his ex from his mind while maintaining a smile for Anya.

"Oh I loved it, Anya." Riley nodded and as she went on to suggest the idea, he showed his look of interest. "I think that's a great idea. I always like to experiment in the kitchen. Not much to do being the only one in the house at night sometimes." And maybe that would change now that Stephen was back. A softer smile spread across his lips as Stephen invaded his thoughts. Could Riley be just a little more obviously into the younger man? Of course not.

The man chuckled at Anya's description of the help she needed and nodded his ascent. "I think I should be able to-" but even before he could finish his sentence, a sudden shiver ran up his spine as a familiar scent ran up his nose. He jumped ever so slightly at the 'Boo' coming from behind him just as his smile spread across his lips when he realised who it was.

Turning around, Riley smacked his boyfriend lightly on the arm and dodged the wink from Anya. "Stephen..." he chided softly before pulling him down to sit on the chair Anya had brought over. "Yes," he admitted shyly. "Anya, this is Stephen. Anya helped me with the baking last night." He made the introductions, suddenly feeling much warmer than the weather.

[Stephen Gage]

After the laughter left his body, Stephen feigned a look of indignation as Anya declared him to be the solution to a mystery. A chair was pulled before him, dragged by a smiling, if flustered, Anya. Riley gripped his arm, after smacking it of course, and pulled the recruiter down into the chair, Stephen falling into it helpfully. The look of indignation didn't stay long. It was difficult to appear hurt when he was giggling. It had been replaced with a smile, and Stephen winked at Riley before he spoke. "Good to know I'm the topic of conversation 'round these parts."

Stephen drained some of the tea from his cup by the straw, his eyes moving from Riley to Anya as his boyfriend recounted her aid. He made a short noise of alarm when the pies were mentioned, swallowing hastily. "So you're the reason his place smells better than usual!" he said, placing his cup on the ground and extending his hand to Anya. "It was good to come home to, that's for sure." He tossed Riley a wry grin, picked up his cup and, before putting it to his lips for another drink, uttered "And you know. Riley was there too."

His eyes strayed past the pair to the bouncy castle, and the children playing inside. Kids. Stephen was good with them. As good as anyone could be without practice, anyway. The thought had occurred to him, but it came as part of a package deal for which Stephen largely doubted he was ready. His cousins, people he'd not seen in years, probably had kids by now. But then, they weren't him. They weren't gay, and they probably couldn't control other people's bodies by lifting a finger. He could be forgiven for heading down a slightly different life path. "Now what's this I heard about adults and hormonal teenagers? That sounds like just a calm, quiet night."

[Anya Vasiliev]

Anya couldn't stop smiling - the sun was warm and the sound of the children being happy was the perfect soundtrack to the day. Then of course, Riley was being positively adorable and shy and the trainer couldn't help but find it endearing. "I'll write up some recipes tonight when I get home." She said brightly, sipping her lemonade and swilling it in the cup thoughtfully. "There's a few I think you'd really like, especially the lemon and mint flan."

The woman offered a soft laugh at Stephen's comment and nodding. "I was just wondering who was giving Riley such a lovely pink glow." She said, gently teasing the older man with a nudge to the ribs. "And now I know." She added, with a wink, before rising and tutting. "One minute gentlemen, there's a bleeding nose." And with that, the petite russian woman hurried into the bouncy castle, picking up a young girl and giving her a tissue.

Fussing over her, she gently stroked her hair and smiled. "That's the second incident of the day, and it isn't even twelve o clock yet." She tutted, shaking her head.

Anya couldn't help but grin when Stephen mentioned the house smelling good. "Oh yes, Riley and I were baking till all hours." Returning to her seat, she let out a little sigh as she flopped. "Maybe if you want a sample you should join the pie eating contest?" She offered with a tiny smirk on her lips, barely disguised by lifting the plastic cup to her lips for another drink. "Riley and I would cheer you on." Her voice was light and teasing, feeling nothing but happy with her current company.

"Riley's just kindly volunteered to help me watch over the Pilot Ridge Speed Dating Event I've organised." She said with a light laugh. "One of the groups is the young teenagers. Hormones everywhere, and I'm slightly worried there'll be some sort of inappropriate fondling going on by the end of the evening." She tutted to herself, tucking some of her dark hair behind her ear. "I'm not really keen on seeing my students in varied states of undress." She added, giving Stephen a rather pleading look. "Feel like joining in on the help?"

[Riley Adams]

Anya and Stephen were apparently the perfect combination for making Riley's face turn beet red, as they both practically took turns saying things Riley wished did not still embarrass him. He knew of course they were just teasing but the landscaper had hardly gotten over the fact that he was actually in a working relationship at his age. Choosing not to dwell too much on the thought, Riley gave Anya a smile when she mentioned flan. "Sounds delightful."

When Anya left to tend to an accident, Riley turned to look at Stephen with a smile. "How was sleep?" he asked, resisting the urge to hold on to his boyfriend's hand in public. Anya's return was met with a smile and a small chuckle at her extended invitation. "Well, I don't know what to feel about hosting the event with my own boyfriend as a contestant." He grinned. "But yes, I would definitely be cheering you on." He nudged his shoulder gently against Stephen's.

"Would make things easier having you there, Stephen." Riley smiled at his boyfriend, leaning against him slightly.

[Stephen Gage]

Stephen's excited face showed when Anya mentioned flan. Anything sweet formed a part of the man's achilles heel, and he sat up a little in his chair, smiling. "Oh, that sounds delicious." he said, resting his hand on Riley's shoulder for a quick second. "I'm so excited to sit back and have you make it," he added with a comic, brief widening of his eyes. Anya's comment upon Riley's seemingly endless blushing was taken with a modicum of pride. The recruiter tipped his invisible hat at her, smiling triumphantly. "I do my best, thanks. Of course, wouldn't be much at all without him to embarrass in the first place."

Stephen looked concernedly towards the site of the bloody nose, distracted from the injury by Riley's voice. He turned to meet his boyfriend's gaze, laughing at the question. "Everything I'd ever hoped sleep would be."

Body language had, ever since Stephen had become reluctantly proficient at using his power, a sort of acquired talent of the man's. He was no telepath, of course. Sean could discern more from people with a glance than Stephen ever could. But Stephen detected more than a little bit of anxiety in Riley's posture, a touch of resistance in the hand that rested just a little uncomfortably on the arm of Riley's chair. Not close enough to the body to have been natural, not quite close enough to Stephen's own to have touched. A flash of concern glinted in Stephen's eyes briefly before Anya returned, and she was greeted with a smile.

Stephen laughed, shaking his head at Riley's reservations. "You don't have much to worry about, babe. Trust me." he chuckled. Stephen nodded, giving Anya his word that he would help her before having another sip of his tea. Riley was leaning against him. Much better. "Yeah, I'd love to help. When and where do you need me?"

[Anya Vasiliev]

Anya couldn't suppress a happy chuckle at how Stephen and Riley played off each other, and she patted the armrest in her chair to avoid simply grinning at how loved up they seemed. "Perhaps I should invite you both over for dinner next week, I don't have much on and I think we could do with a little cheering up." She smiled warmly, keeping one eye on the bouncy castle.

At Stephen's acceptance of help, the young russian leant forward and grinned. "It'll be on a Friday evening. At the Town Hall function room, around 6pm." Finishing her lemonade, she crossed her ankles and let the spring breeze embrace her. "There'll be food." She added as an extra bribe, smoothing down her skirt and looking over at Riley.

"Have you seen Darryl in the dunking booth yet?" Anya mused, suddenly barking out a CAREFUL! to one of the children that was playing a little rough in the castle. "He looks positively soaking, poor man." Running her fingers through her hair, she looked thoughtful. "I can imagine there are quite a few people who'd like to see him get soaked." Midori was probably one of them. And Clarisse.

[Riley Adams]

"I'm glad," Riley grinned, patting Stephen's hand and pulling it away when Anya returned. Her invitation to dinner was met with a grin. "If you don't mind having us over, we would love to come, won't we Stephen?" Riley turned to Stephen with a hopeful smile and a nod. Although people knew of Riley and Stephen's relationship, Riley was somehow still not comfortable with being open with displays of affection. He was hoping Stephen felt the same way and didn't mind.

Riley sat up straight and tilted his head to the side when Stephen called him babe. The endearment was foreign to the landscape artist's ears, never been said or heard from before. Baby or hon was usual, maybe the occasional sweetie but babe just sounded weird. Not a bad weird though, but it was definitely something Riley had to get used to. And the words that accompanied that endearment had Riley smiling a little. Had Stephen picked up on his hesitation? Or was it something else?

"Isn't Darryl that friend of yours Stephen? The one with the fedora?" Riley was recalling the man he saw his then date talking to at the holiday bash.