riverviewlogs | It's a party, ya'll

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It's a party, ya'll

who: Everyone's invited!
what: That potluck he mentioned
when: Saturday afternoon
where: The park
warnings: None so far!

[True to form, Remy pulled out all the stops for this particular potluck. He has it on good authority that Rogue's bringing cornbread, but he's got what seems to be a wireless two-burner setup that he's brought along to the park, one of which is dominated by a very large pot of fragrant and spicy gumbo, and the other by a very large pot of cooked white rice, on warm. There's a small table with plastic-seeming (but totally biodegradable) bowls and utensils, two large coolers (because people might be bringing drinks), two big folding tables (for all the things that might be brought) and a big expanse of the park to cop a squat in and have some good grub, place some outdoors-y things, and have some fun! The park as a grill too, if someone wants to fire it up!]

(OOC: Feel free to post your own starters and have a ball! This is meant to be fun, after all. If you want Remy specifically, let me know! He'll be wandering around.)

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[True to her word, Alex showed up at park toting two boxes of cookies that had obviously come from a bakery. After all, the only things that Alex could make only required boiling water in the form of coffee, ramen and mac and cheese. She's also carrying a bottle of red wine.

But perhaps more miraculous in and of itself is the fact that Alex is not carrying a coffee. Not only is she not carrying a coffee, but she actually looks like she got a fair amount of sleep, and while there are still dark circles below her eyes, she doesn't feel the need to slather them with makeup. After all, despite what it may feel like to her, sixteen hours of sleep still isn't enough to even put a dent in her massive sleep debt. Alex Reagan is all smiles, and great moods and plus ones somewhere about.]

[Said plus one was standing behind her, tall and imposing for all the world to see. His hands were stuck deep in the pockets of his suit pants as he followed, looking to all the world as if this were the last place he wanted to be.

It was.

There could have been more sleeping; he'd told her there could have been more sleeping. She was clearly tired if she'd fallen asleep as soon as everything was moved in. If Alex were worried about him getting bored (she shouldn't have been) she'd brought, surprisingly, enough books to keep his interest for a few hours; and he didn't mind sitting in bed and reading while she slept. In fact, he'd been doing that before she insisted they come to this gathering.

He leaned over to growl low in Alex's ear.]

You're enjoying this, aren't you?

[It wasn't genuine anger, just, annoyance. Somehow, Richard felt like he was Appo, and she was happily taking him for an unsolicited walk.]

[When he asked in her ear, Alex just grinned up at him. Oh, that little growl was going to be a thing wasn't it? Especially because he was so good at reading her and would have caught the shiver that accompanied it. Really, Richard Strand's voice was even better for radio than her own, and sometimes that just wasn't fair. But she couldn't even be annoyed about that right now.

No, for the first time in a long time, Alex actually felt happy and it wasn't because she was lighting a candle or had shared a flower or had burned some incense. Instead, she was just happy on her own merits, and it was due in no small part to the man behind her, and the fact that she'd slept more in a day than she had in a week. Honestly, there was a part of Alex that almost felt bad about feeling so good when people were getting sick, but she wasn't going to turn her nose up at feeling good either. It wasn't that she didn't care, because she did! It was because they needed breaks too.

When she turns around and looks up at him, Alex is grinning and she doesn't even bother to deny it.]

Yep!

[He'd noticed the shiver and, at the moment, it was vaguely annoying. He wasn't trying to make her shiver or excited in any way. He was expressing his displeasure at her forcing him to come. He could have been at the bookstore looking over materials for his classes, or even looking for books and other things for his own, now growing library. Instead, he was here with Alex in a place where he knew no one and had even less inclination to get to know them. This was hardly how he wanted to spend his time.

Richard let out a heavy sigh over her ear, knowing it would have the reverse effect on her then he really meant. That is unless she decided to leave the picnic and go back to the housing complex with him. He wouldn't mind that at all.]

How long are we going to be here?

[As much as she liked the growl, Alex knew his annoyed sigh probably better than anyone else. Normally it was sort of a fifty-fifty shot if she was going to be annoyed back or try and defuse the situation. Sometimes Alex herself didn't even know until the words came from her mouth. Today, however she just ended with a soft sigh in return, and as a response she just slipped her hand into the crook of his arm and gave it a soft squeeze before she smiled up at him.]

Not long.

[Her voice was soft, because she meant it. The last thing she wanted to do was push him into full on arms crossed over his chest super annoyed mode. She did it on accident often enough, and she didn't want to cause this over dragging him out to something. But he needed to get used to being here, and over his delusion of it being a delusion. The best way of doing that, Alex herself had found, was to realize that these were real people going about their real lives.]

Besides, it gives you a chance for observation seeing people not doing the whole mourning thing. And look, wine and gumbo that you don't need to cook! You don't have to be best friends with them, Richard. Just meet them.

Edited 2018-05-08 02:09 (UTC)

[There was another sigh, but he slipped his hand from his pocket, sliding his arm up so his fingers could twine with hers. This was a part of his life that Alex could never understand. She was an extrovert and naturally likable. In fact, it was damn near impossible to hate Alex Reagan. It took force and determination. It was why he'd come back every time he tried to pull away.

He, on the other hand, was nothing like that. He was a force that repelled others. Unless, apparently, your name was Alex Reagan. Ruby didn't count on the list because she was an employee; Charlie wasn't on speaking terms with him until just recently. There was only Alex. He didn't expect that to change any time soon. He was, after all, abrasive and stubborn.

He knew that. He knew his faults and flaunted them proudly. He doubted anyone would be interested in getting to know someone like that.]

I like cooking, Alex. And I'm not exactly a likable person.

Edited (I REMEMBERED WHAT I WANTED TO SAY!) 2018-05-08 04:59 (UTC)

[Alex Reagan is one hundred and twenty percent of introvert. She can't help it, it's just who she is. And though she does try to understand Strand's introverted nature, there's just a part of her that will never get it. But it wasn't the only reason why she was dragging him to things and forcing him to meet people. There was only so many things that he would be exposed to on his own terms, and she was of the opinion that the only way he was going to get over the delusion of this being a delusion was to give him more data.

In her mind, people equaled data. He wouldn't believe this place was real until he could proof it, and this was a way of getting him proof.

Alex's fingers tightened around his, and she just grinned at the not exactly a likeable person comment.]

Is an hour or so with wine and food so bad, Richard?

Yes.

[The answer was immediate. An hour, a half hour, even several minutes in an area with people who he was supposed to be 'getting to know' was an unusual form of torture to him. He felt, uncomfortable, by the very thought of it. Except here he was, walking head-on into just that. Because of Alex.

Because it was Alex, and because he knew her far too well, he relented. It wasn't worth fighting over; especially now that they were there. However he would get back at her for this, eventually. For now, he just let out a heavy, frustrated sigh.]

One hour. At most.

[He would, of course, accept less time, but not more.]

Okay, okay, one hour at the most.

[He was trying, and so Alex would be agreeable too and not push him past that limit. Compromise, they could do it, even if they were two incredibly stubborn people with incredibly strong personalities. It was one of the reasons that they liked each other so much, even with everything that had happened to them. Honestly, if they weren't their partnership wouldn't have lasted past that first episode.]

Thank you, Richard. I mean it.

[And then she smiled up at him and gave his hand another squeeze, because she was glad that she'd gotten him even out of the apartment if nothing else.]

Do you want wine or do you want me to see if I can find something stronger?

[He was doing his best, honestly, but Richard was far more out of his depth here then he would be in a UFO abductees meeting. Still, he'd try, if he had to.]

I think a middle-aged man drinking wine by himself might be, awkward.

[There might have been some self-deprecation there. A humbleness that hadn't often shown around Alex, but he also didn't feel well, and he didn't want to be here. Besides, the mental picture did seem a bit shady.]

Pfft. You're not drinking by yourself. You're drinking at a gathering. Way less awkward. But I can still try and find something stronger.

[A grin, because she is from Seattle and people from Seattle are beer snobs and it's just a thing along with being a coffee snob and Alex is probably never going to get those particular things out of her habits.]

I suppose I could try and find you a can of budweiser if it would help...

[Don't be fooled by that innocent look, Richard. Alex clearly knows what she's doing.]

[She's goading him, that's what she's doing, and he knows that better than most.

Still, he'll rise to the bait, slightly.

A brow rose just a bit at her suggestion and the corner of his mouth threatened to smirk.]

And I thought you didn't want to poison me.

[Richard could be called a lot of things, but a beer drinker was not one of them, and especially not a cheap beer like that. He was hard liquor and fine wines, a product of before his times and branching into it. A product of his father, his upbringing, and of being used to drinking alone.]

It just the sort of thing to make you look less awkward, Richard.

[Yeah, she's grinning openly at him now, and then she's off for a minute, before returning with two red solo party cups. They aren't the weighted crystal decanters and glasses that Strand had at his house, and they're certainly not his good scotch, but they're better than nothing, and she hands him one with a smirk.]

Here, this should help make you look like you fit in.

Alex Reagan OTA

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